Only four weeks into its release, Bad Bunny has re-introduced a piece of Puerto Rican history once lost in the depths of an oversaturated music industry.
Breaking charts by placing top of the Billboard 200 for three weeks, Bad Bunny has made history time and time again by being one of the few Latin Americans to penetrate U.S. charts.
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is Bad Bunny’s way of re-kindling his relationship with his musical roots. The album is no exception to the artist’s successm and arguably his best one yet.
Hitting play on the tracklist evokes an immediate sense of nostalgia. The passion in the lyrics hit me with the sounds of a distant Puerto Rico, one I’ve never set foot in but somehow know by heart.
Drifting away from his usual music style, Bad Bunny leaned into some of his biggest musical inspirations like Héctor Lavoe to transcend into unknown music genres. With a mix of salsa, dembow, bomba, plena, and classic reggaeton, the artist was able to bring back beats unheard of by our generation.
From classic salsa samples to Dominican dembow, Puerto Rican culture resonates throughout the album. Iconic symbols of the diaspora, like Toñitas, a long-standing Latin social club in Williamsburg, N.Y., and legendary salsero Willie Colón, serve as reminders of the island’s deep-rooted influence. For many Puerto Ricans and other Caribbean immigrants, “NUEVAYoL,” or New York, is an extension of home.
Beyond the music, the album’s visual and narrative elements further highlight Puerto Rican identity.
The public’s favorite character and DtMF’s mascot, Concho, is introduced as one of Puerto Rico’s native figures. The digitally animated toad was initially shown in a short film posted to Bad Bunny’s Instagram, which criticized colonial efforts over Puerto Rican natives.
Despite the digitalization of businesses on the island and the invasion of “cashless crypto bros” and other modern ideals, the toad serves as a symbol of Puerto Rican resilience and efforts to maintain their culture after nearly going extinct.
The video features Jacobo Morales, the iconic filmmaker, playing a 70-year-old Bad Bunny who is surprised to find himself feeling like a tourist in his own home.
Lyrics of songs in the album also work as a metaphor for tourists who visit the island without consciousness of its struggles. Tourism itself is a controversial topic among natives due to concerns about the commercialization of local culture, a concern subtly reflected in the song “TURiSTA.”
Puerto Ricans worldwide crank up the volume on cultural pride, turning the artist’s frustration into a call for action.
Listening around for initial reactions on the album from my Puerto Rican friends, I can never get enough of the word “orgullo,” or pride. Appealing to the nature of an afternoon coffee with rum pick-me-up, or “CAFé CON RON,” the authentic collaboration of rhythms in the album captures the essence of Puerto Rican identity while embracing modern influences. The mixture of conga drum, trombone, and high-note beats makes me want to take a peek into the mountains like a Jíbaro farmer myself.
From Los Pleneros de la Cresta to RaiNao, Dei V to Omar Courtz, all of the album’s features are solely focused on highlighting Puerto Rican talent.
“It fills me with pride to know the number one song in the world at the moment speaks so highly of Puerto Rico,” said Sergio Pedreira, CSOM ’27.
Like Sergio, most Latinos appreciate Bad Bunny’s platform giving Latin America the recognition it’s so long deserved.
The album perfectly encapsulates the story of a young kid from Puerto Rico’s rise to stardom. Hearing Bad Bunny unapologetically screaming “I’m from Puerto f—in’ Rico” feels like a declaration of resilience.
Bad Bunny, or Benito to the people who know him, has always been outspoken about both social and political issues regarding his native country. During the 2024 presidential election, the artist took a stance against discriminatory commentary after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage” at a Donald Trump rally in Madison Square Garden.
Bad Bunny clapped back at the slander, releasing a video captioned “garbage” to his Instagram. The video took viewers on a deep dive into Puerto Rico’s rich history, celebrating its beauty and legendary figures while throwing well-deserved shade at the gentrification pushing locals out of their own homes.
DtMF is definitely Bad Bunny’s most political album yet, explicitly speaking in resistance to U.S. colonialism. On the song “LO QUE LE PASO A HAWAii,” the artist references the influence of Americans on towns like Rincón and Dorado, concerned about Puerto Rico eventually experiencing “what happened to Hawaii”—exploitation of natural resources and American influence.
Clashing opinions about the album’s efficacy at portraying this message have been present since Bad Bunny’s rise in popularity among the American public, arguing the artist had become slightly colonized himself. Whether you think he’s lost touch or just evolved with his success, this album was the manifesto that brought it back home.
After a month of having all 17 songs on repeat, I’ve decided the statement piece in the album might just be its title track, “DtMF.”
“I should’ve taken more pictures of when I had you,” Bad Bunny sings, leaving a bittersweet reminder of nostalgia that lingers in my mind.DtMF is a tribute to every migrant and immigrant who has ever felt caught between two worlds. Bad Bunny’s full circle moment serves as a reminder that wherever we call home lives within us, whether it’s Puerto Rico or anywhere else in the world.
