Bad Bunny hasn’t been heard from since May 19, when he tweeted, “Bye, me fui” (“Bye, I left”) to his 1.9 million followers. The social media blackout came after a whirlwind few months for the reggaeton star, during which he released two albums, ignited controversy by donning full drag in a music video and covered Rolling Stone.
Now, the artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio is breaking his silence. In an exclusive statement to TIME, “written like a song,” he responds to the worldwide #BlackLivesMatter protests held in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and vows to contribute “seriously, economically and humanely” in support of the movement.
PERDENON
Perdonen mi silencio
pero ni estoy creyendo lo que pasa,
quizás es porque solo veo corazones mas me enseñaron en mi casa,
que todos somos iguales sin importar la raza, religión, apellido;
que a un hermano, se le abraza.
LES JURO que no me siento bien, ni bien me puedo expresar,
les juro que me duele y me duele hasta pensar.
Que hoy aun por el color de piel de alguien, ¿lo puedan matar?
EN UN MUNDO ASÍ, YO TAMPOCO PUEDO RESPIRAR
F–K DONALD TRUMP!
PRESIDENTE DEL RACISMO,
TU ODIO Y TIRANÍA,
ESO SÍ ES TERRORISMO.
QUE LA LUCHA NO PARE,
QUE NADIE BAJE SU PUÑO,
QUE SEPAN QUE ESTAMOS EN CASA,
QUE ESTE ES NUESTRO TERRUÑO.
Recuerdo; al niño que tenía “pelo malo” le decían,
igual que a mis vecinitos negros, y ellos también se lo creían.
malo? malo es aquel que piensa eso todavía,
SIN SABER QUE POR SUS VENAS CORRE LA MISMA SANGRE QUE LA MÍA.
¿Quién te enseñó a ser así?
¿Por qué no quieres cambiar?
quizás ES CULPA DE LA PRENSA POR NUNCA DECIR LA VERDAD,
O LAS CLASES DE HISTORIA QUE NO CUENTAN LA REALIDAD,
Y MUESTRAN A LOS NEGROS DE ESCLAVOS CON TANTA NORMALIDAD,
Y DESCUBRIMIENTO LE LLAMARON, A LA BRUTALIDAD.
DE ASESINAR Y DE HUMILLAR A LOS DE OTRO COLOR,
QUE 500 AÑOS DESPUÉS,
SIGUE ARRASTRANDO EL DOLOR.
EL ODIO NO MATA AL ODIO, ESO LO HACE PEOR.
PERO EN UN MUNDO ASÍ, ¿QUIÉN QUIERE DAR SU AMOR?
SI FUERA POR MÍ, NADA DE ESTO PASARA,
SI FUERA POR MÍ, NADA DE ESTO EXISTIERA.
NADIE CONOCE A NADIE POR MIRARLO A LA CARA,
NADIE CONOCE A NADIE POR COMO SE MIRA POR FUERA.
PERDONEN QUE MI FURIA HOY SEA SILENTE.
PERDÓNENME POR HOY SENTIRME IMPOTENTE,
LES JURO QUE LES AMO Y SIEMPRE ESTARÉ CON MI GENTE
PERO QUE USTEDES SIEMPRE LUCHEN ESO ES LO IMPORTANTE.
¡¡NUNCA ESPEREN POR ARTISTAS, NI POR HÉROES FICTICIOS, USTEDES SON QUIENES TIENEN EL PODER!! ENSÉÑALE A TU HIJO, A TU HIJA, A RESPETAR Y AMAR SIN IMPORTAR EL COLOR DE PIEL, EDUCA A QUIENES PARECEN NO SABER SOBRE LA HISTORIA DE SUFRIMIENTO Y LUCHA QUE HA TENIDO LA GENTE NEGRA, SOBRE LAS INJUSTICIAS CON LAS QUE CARGAMOS POR SIGLOS. TAL VEZ HOY NO CAMBIEMOS EL MUNDO, PERO MAÑANA HAREMOS LA DIFERENCIA.
#BLACKLIVESMATTER
Translation:
FORGIVE ME
Forgive my silence.
But I can’t even believe this is still happening.
Maybe it’s because I’ve always seen people’s hearts and, in my house, I was always taught that we are all the same regardless of race, religion and surname; that we are all brothers/sisters.
I SWEAR I don’t feel well, and I don’t think I can express myself properly,
I swear it hurts! It hurts to know that people are still being killed because of the color of their skin.
LIVING IN A WORLD LIKE THIS, NONE OF US CAN BREATHE!
F–K DONALD TRUMP!
PRESIDENT OF RACISM!
YOUR HATE AND TYRANNY,
THAT’S TERRORISM.
DON’T STOP THE FIGHT,
DON’T LOWER YOUR FISTS,
KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL HOME,
THAT THIS IS OUR LAND.
I remember the white boy with the “bad hair,” that’s what they would say,
just like they did to my black neighbors, and they believed it too.
Bad? Bad are those who still think that way,
WITHOUT REALIZING THAT THE SAME BLOOD RUNS THROUGH OUR VEINS.
Who taught you to be this way?
Why don’t you seek change?
MAYBE THE PRESS IS TO BLAME FOR NEVER SHOWING THE TRUTH
OR HISTORY CLASSES THAT DON’T TEACH US A REAL ACCOUNT OF EVENTS
AND SHOW BLACK SLAVES WITH SUCH NORMALCY
AND WHO STILL CALL THIS BRUTALITY A “DISCOVERY.”
TO MURDER AND HUMILIATE THOSE OF ANOTHER SKIN COLOR,
THAT 500 YEARS LATER,
THAT PAIN KEEPS DRAGGING ON.
HATE DOESN’T STOP HATE,
IT JUST MAKES IT WORSE.
IN A WORLD LIKE THAT, WHO WANTS TO GIVE THEIR LOVE?
IF IT WAS UP TO ME, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED,
IF IT WAS UP TO ME, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE EXISTED.
YOU CAN’T KNOW SOMEONE BY SIMPLY LOOKING AT THEIR FACE,
YOU CAN’T KNOW SOMEONE BY ONLY LOOKING AT THEIR OUTER APPEARANCE.
FORGIVE ME THAT MY ANGER TODAY IS SILENT.
FORGIVE ME FOR FEELING IMPOTENT TODAY.
I SWEAR TO YOU I LOVE YOU AND I WILL ALWAYS STAND BY MY PEOPLE,
BUT WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU GUYS ALWAYS FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN.
NEVER WAIT FOR ARTISTS, OR FOR FICTITIOUS HEROES, YOU ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE THE POWER!!! TEACH YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS TO RESPECT AND LOVE REGARDLESS OF SKIN COLOR. EDUCATE THOSE WHO DO NOT SEEM TO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SUFFERING AND STRUGGLE THAT BLACK PEOPLE HAVE ENDURED, ABOUT THE INJUSTICES WE CARRIED FOR CENTURIES. MAYBE WE WON’T CHANGE THE WORLD TODAY, BUT TODAY WE CAN WORK ON MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR TOMORROW.
#BLACKLIVESMATTER
