Skip To Content
BuzzFeed Homepage
Sign In
Search BuzzFeed

    50 Cent Is Upset At The Grammys For Not Including Spanish Subtitles For Bad Bunny Performance, And He's Not Alone

    Surprisingly, he's not wrong.

    Once again, 50 Cent is on the internet calling people out — this time, it's in defense of the biggest Puerto Rican rapper and singer in the world.

    closeup of 50 cent
    Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images

    Yeah, I didn't have that on my 2023 bingo card.

    Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) opened the 2023 Grammy Awards with a mash-up of "El Apagón" and "Después de la Playa" and had everyone in attendance shaking their booties.

    bad bunny performing on stage
    Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

    Especially Taylor Swift.

    I will never get over this moment between T-Swift and Bad Bunny.

    Taylor and bad bunny embrace for a funny photo
    Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

    It's literally the wallpaper on my iPhone.

    But the moment that got everybody else talking was when the not-so-inclusive captions appeared during the live broadcast of the performance.

    bad bunny on stage
    Timothy Norris / FilmMagic

    During Bad Bunny's performance, the captions simply read, “[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]” and “[SINGING IN NON-ENGLISH].”

    bad bunny and his dancers on stage
    Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

    50 Cent didn't hold back when he called out the broadcast for the disrespectful move, and I can't believe I agree with him.

    closeup of 50 cent
    Carmen Mandato / Getty Images

    He took to his Instagram to post, "The Grammys need to be check about this, Fvcking @badbunnypr bigger than everybody right now and you can’t pay for closed caption. Wtf is this speaking Non-English. 🤨FIX IT! #bransoncognac #lecheminduroi"

    50 doubled down and posted a following IG, writing, "👀WTF going on here, 🤨I DONT WANT TO HEAR SHIT FIX IT! #bransoncognac #lecheminduroi

    closeup of 50 cent sitting at a game
    Rocky Widner / NBAE via Getty Images

    It wasn't like they had to guess what Bad Bunny was saying. The song lyrics are literally available everywhere. I have the Spanish proficiency of a two-year-old, and even I can sing the chorus of Bad Bunny's most popular songs.

    bad bunny performing
    Timothy Norris / FilmMagic

    Bad Bunny included the moment in a grateful shoutout on his Instagram, writing, "la palabra mas bonita que existe es: GRACIAS. Soy agradecido con Dios, con la vida, con el amor que recibo. Agradecido de poder vivir momentos que nunca imaginé. Agradecido de las personas que me quieren de verdad, los que me apoyan genuinamente, los que me entienden y por los que no también. Agradecido de poder hacer lo que mas amo, MÚSICA. Me siento feliz, me siento orgulloso de mi y por eso doy GRACIAS."

    bad bunny accepting his grammy
    Timothy Norris / FilmMagic

    For people reading in [non-Spanish]: "The most beautiful word that exists is: Thank you. I am grateful to God, to life, to the love I receive. Grateful to be able to live moments that I never imagined. Grateful for the people who truly love me, those who genuinely support me, those who understand me and those who don’t too. Grateful to be able to do what I love the most, MUSIC. I feel happy, I feel proud of myself and for that I give THANKS." 

    And yes, I'm making a point here.

    According to BuzzFeed News, CBS captioning "speaking non-English" is normal, but it also highlights a bigger conversation about accessibility and respect. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) said it best, “This issue is about respect. The millions of Spanish speakers living in the US deserve equal treatment and consideration as CBS’s English-speaking viewers."

    closeup of bad bunny performing
    Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

    “When millions of Americans tuned in to watch record-breaking Latino artist Bad Bunny perform on one of Hollywood’s biggest stages, they were met with a reminder that for CBS Spanish is simply [NON-ENGLISH].”

    I have to note that CBS displayed captions for the performance during replays of the broadcast, but maybe it's time to get it right the first time.