Los Angeles’ vibrant music scene recently provided a unique learning opportunity for students in Professor Vanessa Díaz’s course, “Bad Bunny & Resistance in Puerto Rico.” In March 2025, the students attended the Rolling Loud Festival. They received exclusive press and VIP access to witness a historic moment in Latin music: Peso Pluma’s headline performance at the world’s largest hip-hop festival, making him the first non-hip-hop, Spanish-language artist to do so.
This experience offered students an unforgettable chance to observe and analyze Peso Pluma. Pluma’s genre, corridos tumbados, shares similarities with American rap music and reggaetón, both of which have faced cultural backlash for their perceived associations with violence and drugs. However, these genres have consistently been at the forefront of addressing issues important to marginalized communities.
Students were also able to draw connections to Bad Bunny and the many artists examined in the course. “The students’ bond from being out in the world together and sharing how their education can be applied outside the confines of the classroom. Gaining real-world experience is empowering, and I definitely see an increase in student confidence, engagement, and joy in learning after participating in these experiential learning opportunities,” said Díaz, an associate professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. “Part of LMU’s mission is to encourage students to engage with the community and apply our knowledge ‘Beyond the Bluff.’ A music-focused course like ‘Bad Bunny and Resistance in Puerto Rico’ is the perfect vehicle for that.”
Professor Díaz began teaching the “Bad Bunny” course in the Spring 2023 semester. The goal was to use Bad Bunny’s music as a starting point to discuss important issues related to Latinidad, Puerto Rican politics, and history. The course focuses on reggaetón and its connection to resistance movements within marginalized communities, particularly in Puerto Rico.
The “Bad Bunny” course has continued to evolve by incorporating current historical events occurring in Puerto Rico into the curriculum. For example, last fall, significant time was devoted to discussing the local Puerto Rican elections, where the Puerto Rican Independence Party candidate for governor secured the second position after the statehood party for the first time in history. Bad Bunny played a crucial role in the elections, and this was addressed in class. During the Spring 2025 semester, the course has delved into his latest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which addresses themes central to the course, including colonialism, gentrification, tourism, and other pressing issues affecting Puerto Rico. Designing a course around a cultural phenomenon requires continual updates to the content, making it exciting and relevant for students.
The festival experience profoundly impacted students, with many sharing personal reflections about how the festival enhanced their understanding of the course material. “This once-in-a-lifetime event opened our eyes to the intersectionality of music and its origins in the larger socio-political arena,” said Emma Fallon ‘25, an international relations and Spanish major. Fallon also highlighted Peso Pluma’s willingness to address his controversial lyrics. “Peso brings to the stage a genre known as corridos tumbados, which is largely influenced by a subgenre known as narcocorridos or ‘drug ballads’ in English. This has led to mounting criticism of his music, in which the Mexican government expressed concerns over the promotion of violence in his lyrics. The graphics during his set emphasize these concerns and demonstrate another important convergence with hip-hop and reggaeton–censorship.”
Christianne Tubola ‘25, a journalism major, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the significance of Peso Pluma’s performance as a cultural milestone. “His performance proved that genres rooted in marginalized communities are not only commercially successful but deserve to be embraced as significant parts of the culture,” Tubola said. “From reggaetón to corridos tumbados, these genres hold a deep-rooted history of struggle, resilience, and defiance against oppressive systems. Through this experience, we’ve learned firsthand that music is not only a vessel of celebration, but also a form of resistance.”
In addition to witnessing the performance, students had the unique opportunity to explore the festival’s press area, where they gained valuable insights into the media and entertainment industries. Professor Díaz noted, “I think for all students, seeing the behind-the-scenes of the press area was informative and inspiring. Many of my students are interested in the media and entertainment industries, so I know they appreciated this.”
The trip to Rolling Loud highlighted the power of experiential learning and exemplifies how education, culture, and music can come together to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of scholars, activists, and artists. As Fallon summed up, “Music is intentional, music is political, and music is resistance.” Tubola added, “Going to Rolling Loud and witnessing Peso Pluma make history was a learning experience unlike any other. Music, as discussed in class, reflects lived experiences — a means by which oppressed communities can tell their stories of trials and triumphs. These artists serve as a reminder that resistance isn’t always orthodox — it can be subversive, poetic, and played on one of the biggest stages in the world.”
