On Friday, Bad Bunny released the music video for Yo Perreo Sola— a bop that translates to “I Hoe Alone”— that seems like a cruel nod to our lonely quarantined lives but is really a celebration of female autonomy. The music video features Bad Bunny dressed in drag, complete with synthetic breasts and a latex mini dress that looks achingly tight. It ends with a powerful message: “If she doesn’t want to dance with you, respect her, she twerks alone.”
“I wrote it from the perspective of a woman,” the rapper told Rolling Stone. “I wanted a woman’s voice to sing it — ‘Yo Perreo Sola’ — because it doesn’t mean the same thing when a man sings it. But I do feel like that woman sometimes.”
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has never publicly identified as queer but has spoken out about what he believes is his responsibility as an artist to combat regressive gender roles and bring awareness to gender-based violence. In February, Ocasio performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon wearing a shirt that said “They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt,” referring to a homeless trans woman who was murdered in Puerto Rico after she used the women’s bathroom at a fast food restaurant.
The rapper’s allyship with the LGBTQ community has been praised but also criticized by some who regard his use of queer symbolism as ‘opportunistic.’ Although members of the queer community have had mixed feelings around his advocacy, the reactions to Yo Perreo Sola were overwhelmingly positive.
I love Bad Bunny even more after his Yo Perreo Sola music video. This guy broke it down so everyone can understand. Retweet to raise awareness. #perreosola #BadBunny pic.twitter.com/BRiQjhIjkp
— Izzy (@sameolg29) March 28, 2020
“How could you not stan?!”- Random queer king on Twitter, March 2020
So many people arent getting the whole point as to y bad bunny dressed like a women in his music video. Read this before ever saying he is losing his shit. Hes actually using his platform to bring awareness. Yall look dumb talking outta your ass abt this. pic.twitter.com/GZpfKOT9BD
— T (@babygirlesmeee) March 28, 2020
i saw bad bunny’s phat ass & i just wanted to- pic.twitter.com/EPfpO0Q1vK
— ☽ (@a1phanie) March 28, 2020
its beautiful out, it’s finally darty szn, bad bunny gave us sum heat, QUIERO PERREAR pic.twitter.com/kDTg8n5TOl
— sienna (@ssiennaj) March 28, 2020
i would give anything to have my face in between bad bunny’s fake boobies pic.twitter.com/w2s7cjIrDa
— sam (@sillieraysirus) March 28, 2020
Meanwhile, Anuel AA— another Puerto Rican rapper with ongoing beef against our fluid Latin prince— took to Instagram stories to criticize the music video.
una vez más queda demostrada la homofobia de este personaje, benito no necesita a nadie, perrea sola.#anuelisoverparty pic.twitter.com/x6GkrQpXsh
— lisbett ️ (@lacunzacuture) March 28, 2020
“You guys are weird as balls and dumb and hypocrites! I can’t go against my ideals for a business,” he wrote.
All we gotta say is…
bad bunny stans coming for anuel pic.twitter.com/hK0sE9MLw8
— moonchild (@narcissisticgg) March 28, 2020
