Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, otherwise known as Bad Bunny, just dropped arguably one of the most powerful albums of all time. On Jan. 5, 2025, the Puerto Rican artist released his sixth solo album in which he celebrated the flavors of his island.
Released on the day before Three Kings Day, a national holiday celebrated in Puerto Rico, his album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” instantaneously touched the hearts of several Puerto Ricans.
From featuring traditional sounds of Puerto Rico such as plena to making Puerto Rican specific references and providing a history lesson of the island on YouTube, Benito sent a moving message to all Boricuas.
Though known for his trap and reggaeton music, Bad Bunny has been an activist for Puerto Rico since the beginning of his career. In 2018, a year after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, Benito released a song called “Estamos Bien.”
The song became an anthem for Boricuas as a way to notify the world that though they have lost their homes and family members, they are “doing good.”
In November 2024, Puerto Rico held elections for their new governor. Months leading up to the election, Bad Bunny announced that he was in support of the Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, the independent party that wants to separate Puerto Rico from the United States.
He urged other Puerto Ricans to join him in voting against Jenniffer González, the candidate of the Partido Nuevo Progresista, the progressive party that wants to make Puerto Rico a state.
On Sept. 19, 2024, Bad Bunny released a single called “Una Velita” highlighting the political turmoil and speaking on current living conditions in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria. The single helped bring attention to issues on the island the progressive party had contributed to.
Though a valiant effort was made by Benito, González won the election, leaving the democratic and independent parties of Puerto Rico distraught.
Dec. 26, 2024, Bad Bunny announced he would be releasing an album in January. Weeks leading up to his album, he teased his fans by releasing two songs early and a short film on YouTube.
Fans were raving over the two early releases. However, a short film is what caught most people’s attention.
The short film “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” captured the overall message Benito had been attempting to send to Puerto Ricans prior to the election of González. In the short film, audiences witness how the gentrification of Puerto Rico has gotten out of control.
The short film focuses on an elderly man, played by Jacobo Morales, and his friend Concho, a sapo (toad) of Puerto Rico. Morales is pictured showing Concho all the photos he took of Puerto Rico when he was younger but regretting that he did not take more.
Later, Morales heads to the local panadería (bakery), to get himself and Concho typical food from the island.
During his visit to the panadería, Morales struggles to order food because the cashier does not speak Spanish. The shop no longer sells traditional quesitos because the tourists do not eat them, and he cannot pay with cash since the store only takes Apple Pay.
Afterwards, Morales has a heart to heart with Concho, realizing that the island is not what it used to be. He wishes he had taken more photos before the gentrification started happening and Puerto Rico started losing its culture.
With the release of the short film, fans were left in awe of how perfectly it captured what was happening right before their eyes. Two days later, Bad Bunny released his album which received an overwhelming amount of praise from people around the world, but mainly Puerto Ricans.
From 17 culturally infused tracks, fans are finding that two tracks in particular are beautiful, yet gut-wrenching.
Track 14, “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii” (What happened to Hawaii), references how gentrification ruined Hawaii’s culture and how it is ruining Puerto Rico’s culture.
His lyrics state “Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa. Quieren el barrio mío y que abuelita se vaya.” These lyrics refer to how Americans are taking away the natives' rivers, beaches, homes and families by building hotels and buying properties on the island.
Finally, track 16, “DtMF,” is a homage to the beauty of his island, but most notably the people. Benito reminds his fans that they need to appreciate their experiences, culture and people in their lives before it is too late. He reflects on how we take certain memories for granted.
Bad Bunny’s release of this album is what many are calling “a love letter to Puerto Rico,” however at the same time a warning to all Boricuas of what is to come if they do not take action to protect their culture now.
