Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rico born singer-songwriter with three Grammy Awards, eleven Latin Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, and thirteen Lo Nuestro Awards. In an interview with E News, he answered the question all his fans are asking. The artist said, “Bad Bunny, that name comes from a picture when I was a kid. I think that I was six years old,” he continued, “I was so mad. That was Easter day in the school and the teacher picked me to dress up.”
Bad Bunny fans have been beaming over his new album ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ which translates to “I should have taken more photos” referring to his birthplace and home, Puerto Rico. This album is a tribute to the island, its locals, and the culture’s beauty. By saying ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ he is suggesting the island has changed with an influx of gentrification over the years and he wished he could capture more of its past.
The album samples many classic Puerto Rican party songs. The album starts with the song “NUEVAYoL” which begins with a clip from El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico’s “Un Verano en Nueva York”. This song not only depicts Puerto Rico’s salsa dancing traditions, but also shows their love for New York. This city is crucial to the community with Puertoricoreport stating “Roughly 5% of New York’s total population is of Puerto Rican heritage — over one million people.” This song blends a classic Caribbean sound with new-age Latin trap music.
The third song in the album, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” switches up from the proud Puerto Rican theme to a heartbroken matter. Even so, Bad Bunny manages to maintain the Spanish trumpets and drums playing all through the album, showcasing the signature Latin sound. This song would be classified as “sad- happy” with lyrics such as
“No, no te puedo borrar/ Tú me enseñaste a querer/Me enseñaste a bailar”
Which translates to:
“No, I can’t erase you/ You taught me how to love/ You taught me how to dance”
Although sad, it’s contradicted by the exciting beat.
With many songs having a feature one leaves the audience wanting more, “PERFuMITO NUEVO”. This song features RaiNao who is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter who is mostly a reggaeton singer. The constant beat transitions are quite fun but the sharp snare was distracting all throughout the song. It takes from the context of the music as well as both the artist’s voices. The song also ends quite abruptly leaving the listener feeling like it wasn’t done.
With this aside, the most passionate song of the album has to be “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAII”. This song mentions having your hometown taken away from you and wishing to return but you can’t. The main concept of this ballad is hoping Puerto Rico doesn’t become the next Hawaii. Both islands are having the same issue of year-round tourism and gentrification from those moving there. He also mentions the Lelolai which is a traditional taíno Puerto Rican dance, begs for people to remember it as well as the history of the island in this song.
“LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAII” says:
“Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa/ Quieren el barrio mío y que tus hijos se vayan/ No, no suelte’ la bandera ni olvide’ el lelolai/ Que no quiero que hagan contigo lo que le pasó a/ Hawái”
Which translates to:
“They want to take my river and my beach too/ They want my neighborhood and your kids to leave/ No, don’t let go of the flag nor forget the lelolai/ ‘Cause I don’t want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii”.
Although this album is undoubtedly geared to a Puerto Rican demographic, the messages and love for his home is easily recognized by anyone. Even if a non-Spanish speaker hears his songs, they understand the emotions expressed which is what music is all about. Overall great album and look out for tickets for his upcoming tour!
