DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

Popular Puerto Rican artist, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, more commonly known as Bad Bunny, is ecstatic after the release of his newest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. The new release highlights current key political events happening in Puerto Rico, his home nation. The album, released on January 5th 2025, has been a huge hit so far. It’s been on the Global Billboard Top 200 for 3 weeks now, currently ranked at No. 1, with some songs taking 5 out of the first 10 spots in the Billboard Global 200. 

Bad Bunny has always had a huge impact on Latin music. In his newest album, he chose to send a powerful message through music by collaborating with other Puerto Rican artists that felt a deep emotional connection with the lyrics and music. So he teamed up with multiple Latin artists, specifically Puerto Rican, to create a heartwarming album, with a touch of spice, about the ongoing political problems in Puerto Rico. Some featured artists include RaiNao, Chuwi, Omar Courtz, Dei V, and Los Pleneros de la Cresta. A common genre in Bad Bunny’s music is trap latino and reggaeton, and in this recent album, DtMF, is performed in the Afro-Puerto Rican folk music style of plena, a genre that most non-Puerto Ricans are not familiar with. Before the release of DtMF, no plena song had ever charted in any position.

Among the album there are certain songs that include plena and salsa, such as “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” and “DtMF”. Specifically, in “Baile INoLVIDABLE”, Bad Bunny collaborated with students from Escuela Libre de Musica to create the song. Another song that really stood out in the album was “LO QUE LE PASÓ a HAWAii”. The album expresses unrestrained pride in Puerto Rico's history and identity. Features a solo of the cuatro, Puerto Rico’s guitar-like national instrument, that includes the rhythm of Puerto Rican's national anthem, "La Borinqueña," a song whose original lyrics were composed by Lola Rodríguez de Tió,  Puerto Rican poet and revolutionary.

Benito has always been vocal about Puerto Rican social and political issues. He spent the 2024 election season speaking out against corrupt political parties in PR and even endorsed the Independent candidate for governor. He also released a short film in anticipation of this album starring Jacobo Morales, a Puerto Rican filmmaker, and a caricature of el Sapo Concho, a native toad that’s now an endangered species. The film showcases the harmful effects that gentrification has on natives when non-Puerto Ricans and U.S. corporations purchase land on the island and participate in cultural erasure. He explores that heartbreak even further with the lyrics of this song, begging that his island not go through the colonization that occurred in Hawaii. “No one here wanted to leave, and those who left dream of coming back,” a sentiment anyone involved with the situation resonates with deeply. The chorus of the song talks about the dispossession of Puerto Ricans from their land, similar to  what happened to Hawaii following its annexation to the United States. Overall, the song invokes a fear of displacement that has taken over the soul of many Puerto Ricans since the economic crisis, environmental collapse, and favorable tax benefits have brought in a new wave of wealthier U.S. mainlanders who are increasingly treating the island as a colony. It discusses displacement, disillusion, and heartbreak, but also fiesta, solidarity, and cultural resistance.

Though the album’s focus on Puerto Rico and its political nature could have angered listeners, seeing as it is not similar to past albums and songs Bad Bunny has released, it seems the risk has paid off. What really sets the album apart from the rest of the Bad Bunny releases is the fact that its whole purpose was to send a political message about the issues going on in his home. DtMF demonstrates that music is key to telling the history and shaping the present of Latin America and the Caribbean. As the region faces an uncertain future, DtMF shows us that there is hope as long as we are willing to fight. The album showcases Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rican side, and shows his commitment to his home nation. DtMF will go down in history as one of reggaetón's most unique and inventive albums. 

Album rating: 8/10

Starred reviews: 

“As a Puerto Rican this album touched my heart because I could relate to what he sings in this album. My teenage daughters and I would love to meet him one day. Would love to hug him and thank him for his tribute to our isla del encanto. I’m 50 and it had me reminiscing about sweet memories of Puerto Rico.” (google reviews)

“Beautiful and fun album! A love letter to Puerto Rico. Bad bunny is a treasure.” (google reviews)

“After the last album, this is the project we have been waiting for. It’s an ode to PR and it’s political strife. As he states the album is fully immersed in what is Puerto Rico. It’s clear that this was a passion project and it shows he put his heart into it.” (google reviews)

“Poignantly describes pride and pain in a way that only Bad Bunny can, he even managed to bring worldwide attention to a true Puerto Rican denizen el Sapo Concho. This album is a real masterpiece that couldn’t have come at a better time in my life.” (google reviews)

“This album is lyrically the Boricua spirit. This is what you hear, feel and sense when you not only are Boricua but also when you are in Puerto Rico. A true exhibition of the Puerto Rican essence.” (google reviews)