by Ernie McCray
I remember my grandfather
always saying to me
“Well, son, I guess that’s too much like right”
when my most logical response to a situation
should have been put into action but was not,
and lately I’ve been saying that to myself a lot
as I look at what’s happening
here and there
around the country,
thinking, particularly,
about what if we bypassed all the rigmarole
with regard to Bad Bunny
headlining the halftime show
at the 60th Super Bowl,
singing in Espanol,
and instead praised him
for how he rose
from work as a bag boy at a grocery store
in Puerto Rico
and became a global music icon
who has remained deeply connected
to his Latino roots,
masterfully combining a range of genres,
rap and rock and salsa and soul and reggaeton
to create a unique sound,
using his platform as a superstar
for social good,
bringing attention to issues affecting
his people who, like us, are American citizens,
challenging White privilege and colonialism
and traditional machismo in Latin music
and vocally protesting against, in solidarity with nonnative human beings,
a president’s
racist immigration policies,
at one point cancelling U.S. tour dates
due to fears about potential ICE raids.
It seems that for such a positive impact
on our lives
that we owe Bad Bunny a hearty high five.
But I’d say right now,
with how things are going down,
that that just might be
“Too much like right.”
