Bad Bunny’s performance of “El Apagón” during his headlining set at Coachella 2023 on Friday was accompanied a message appeared on the screens behind him that seemed to indicate beef between the Puerto Rican rapper and former Coachella headliner Harry Styles. “goodnight benito could do as it was but harry could never do el apagon,” it read. A representative for Bad Bunny told Rolling Stone that while the artist declined to comment, he did not approve that image.
Sturdy.Co, the company that provided the background visuals for Benito’s set, also noted to Rolling Stone that the artist didn’t approve the appearance of that tweet. “Our intention is to create light hearted designs that embody Bad Bunny’s personality and amplify the experience he presents as a performer,” reads an Instagram story from the company, which was viewed by Pitchfork. “The request from the artist during the visuals for ‘El Apagón’ performance was to use the image only and not text from the tweet, which we take responsibility for and correct it for Friday’s performance. These visuals are a celebration of Bad Bunny and his dedication to empowering his native island, Puerto Rico.”
When Bad Bunny shared the video for “El Apagón,” it was accompanied by a short documentary examining social and economic justice issues in Puerto Rico. He was joined at Coachella’s first weekend by Post Malone, Jhay Cortez, and others.