Bad Bunny's "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" Tells Puerto Rico's History

The opening way of Bad Bunny's sixth workplace album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," which was released connected Jan. 5, doesn't statesman successful the mode galore of america person travel to expect emblematic reggaetón songs to start. There are nary dense synths underlining the intro, nary plucky "wite" melody (how Puerto Ricans notation to the iconic melody sampled from Jamaica's "Bam Bam" riddim), and nary pounding dembow bassline. Instead, "Nuevayol" opens with a illustration from the salsa classical "Un Verano En Nueva York" by El Gran Combo, the archetypal motion we are successful for thing different. And by the clip the album's 17 tracks are through, we've been taken connected a circuit done Puerto Rico's affluent philharmonic history. This is Bad Bunny's astir Puerto Rican and emotionally susceptible medium yet, wherever helium uses the island's philharmonic soundscape arsenic a canvas to remark connected its galore sociopolitical issues portion cultivating the philharmonic terroir of Puerto Rico's future.

"Debí Tirar Más Fotos," which translates to "I should've taken much photos," comes astatine a important clip for Puerto Ricans, some connected the land and passim the diaspora. With the aforesaid medication that has helped pb the land into corruption and decay astir to instrumentality bureau yet again, determination is nary warrant that our traditions oregon mode of beingness won't beryllium straight impacted. Such is the march of time, and the interaction of implicit 500 years of colonization cannot beryllium understated.

Bad Bunny, calved Benito Antonio Martínez, seems to recognize this amended than most. The medium is framed loosely by the thought of the vocalist entering the caller twelvemonth alone, reflecting connected a mislaid love, which tin easy correlate to the nonaccomplishment of agency, sleep, and a promising aboriginal galore Puerto Ricans are grappling with. Our beaches are slowly being poisoned. Our lands are being sold to crypto billionaires. And our lights inactive won't enactment the fuck on.

Given these circumstances, it's not hard to spot however the nostalgia of the past tin service arsenic an escape. But Martínez, portion his quality mightiness beryllium drinking pitorro and reminiscing astir an ex, isn't getting mislaid successful nostalgia. He's utilizing it to span the spread betwixt the island's past and its future. While the opening way starts with a salsa sample, which shouts retired Puerto Rican legends similar salsero Willie Colón and the proprietor of the past lasting Puerto Rican societal nine successful NYC, Maria Antonia Cay (known arsenic Toñita), the 2nd opus connected the album, "Baile Inolvidable," sees Martínez harmonizing successful his emblematic urbano cadence implicit the horns, keys, and emblematic salsa orchestration provided by Libre de Musica San Juan. This is followed by tracks borrowed from little commercialized genres, specified arsenic bomba y plena, música jíbara, and bachata. However, portion the sonic scenery of "DTMF" owes overmuch to the island's past, the voices it features are primed to signifier the island's philharmonic contented for years to come.

Puerto Rico's adjacent large thing, RaiNao, is featured connected the way "Perfumito Nuevo," a sexy, upbeat reggaetón fig with pulsing, alternating dembow rhythms that are cleanable for a day-trip crossed Puerto Rico's sunbaked carreteras. The precise adjacent track, "Weltito," calls successful assistance from up-and-coming Latin jazz, tropical fusion quartet Chuwi.

Martínez mightiness beryllium a once-in-a-generation superstar, but he's ever understood that helium is portion of a bigger philharmonic tradition, 1 that includes greats similar Hector Lavoe, Andres Jimenez, Olga Tanon, Big Pun, Tego Calderon, and galore more. And with that comes a definite responsibility. Martínez knows that immoderate creator helium features volition beryllium springboarded into the spotlight, and helium uses his level accordingly to guarantee that the contented continues agelong aft he's gone.

There's been a "recent backmost to the roots" question sweeping crossed the underground country successful PR, with caller artists experimenting with much accepted sounds, which the artists featured connected the album, including Chuwi, Rainao, Omar Courtz, and Dei V are each a portion of. Even Rauw Alejandro stepped up to clasp a much classical benignant and wage homage to the diaspora connected his past medium with a screen of 'Tú Con El" by Frankie Ruiz. So it's nary astonishment that aft "nadie sabe lo que vas a pasar mañana," the trap masterclass that was his past album, Martínez's latest task would person him going successful a much eclectic absorption and utilizing his level to assistance propulsion the island's dependable successful that direction.

But successful galore ways, Bad Bunny is besides benignant of an anti-superstar. Whereas being a popular prima often means trading successful a much cultivated dependable for thing that appeals to the masses, Martínez has done the opposite. The much his fame has grown, the much his philharmonic trajectory has diverged from emblematic popular stardom, starring him down the way of auteur and activistic akin to hep hop creator and rapper Kendrick Lamar. Similarly, arsenic his fame has grown, his albums person go little accessible and much insular. "DTMF" is not an medium that caters to extracurricular audiences. It's not meant to entreaty to tourists, thing the creator touches connected successful the way "Turista," a cautionary communicative astir falling successful emotion with the superficial but being unwilling to judge oregon unrecorded with a person's or, successful this case, a place's imperfections.

But possibly the astir impactful way connected the disc is "Lo Que Le Paso a Hawaii." On it, Bad Bunny examines the similarities betwixt Hawaii and Puerto Rico, however some were made U.S. territories successful 1898 and however the modulation from colony to statehood has served the American interests portion raising the outgo of surviving and marginalizing autochthonal Hawaiians. It is an eerily akin parallel to what Martínez sees occurring contiguous successful Puerto Rico: the influx of American ex-pats, the gentrification of taste centers, and the government's propulsion for statehood. It's nary wonderment the creator was brought to tears connected a caller sojourn to San Juan. The medium is filled with bittersweet sentiments similar these.

If "Un Verano Sin Ti" was a emotion missive to Caribbean civilization (Spanish and non-Spanish speaking alike), and "nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana" was an homage to the thoroughfare beingness of Puerto Rico, past "DTMF" is simply a solemnisation of who we are arsenic people, a testament to our grit, and our publication to euphony arsenic whole. Sure, the accepted genres are good represented here, but determination are besides touches of location and spoken word, which punctual america of the roles we've played successful elevating those arts.

Martínez is wielding nostalgia arsenic a limb here, taking purpose astatine those who would spot america pushed disconnected our lands and erased from history, and he's doing it successful the astir Puerto Rican of ways: by making noise. And successful the process, he's afloat travel into his ain arsenic an creator and visionary. And that imaginativeness puts his land and his radical beforehand and halfway successful everything helium does. As helium says connected 1 of my favourite tracks from the medium "EoO": "You're listening to Puerto Rican music. We grew up listening to and singing this. In the projects, successful the hoods. Since the 90s, the 2000s until forever."

Miguel Machado is simply a writer with expertise successful the intersection of Latine individuality and culture. He does everything from exclusive interviews with Latin euphony artists to sentiment pieces connected issues that are applicable to the community, idiosyncratic essays tied to his Latinidad, and thought pieces and features relating to Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican culture.