Since he first came on the scene, has been topping the charts in Latin America and around the entire world. I still remember the first time I heard him. He was releasing songs on SoundCloud, and a friend had sent me a link to listen to a new up-and-coming artist.
Everyone who knows me knows that if I’m ever asked who my favorite artist is, I’ll name a couple of people, but Bad Bunny will always make that list. I was so excited to listen to his , so when I boarded the train back to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia, I figured it was the perfect time to plug in with no distractions.
I’m not sure what I was expecting. His early releases like “” were certainly indicative of classic of Puerto Rico. However, I was absolutely floored when I hit play and was immediately thrown into the sound of , a world-famous Puerto Rican salsa orchestra, on the track “.”
I can say with certainty that I have never listened to an album over and over so many times. I was expecting to get lit on the train, and while I certainly did, I was also left with a melancholic feeling of pride and heartbreak mixed into one complete emotion. Being Puerto Rican, I always feel pride listening to Bad Bunny — and any Puerto Rican artist for that matter — but this new album is unequivocally for Puerto Rico.
And it’s not just pride that I feel listening to the album, but fear too. There is a warning mixed into many of the lyrics. A warning that Puerto Ricans have been aware of for a while but that some people might be hearing for the first time.
The name of the album itself, “” — “I should have taken more pictures” — describes the many emotions that one feels reminiscing about the people and events that might one day be forgotten. You had something and didn’t know that you wouldn’t have it forever, so you didn’t bother to take pictures. In a way, you no longer have any proof that it belonged to you — that the island was once yours.
It is clear that Bad Bunny doesn’t just want you to listen to the album, but to know the history of the island and its people, lest it be forgotten. On , the song visualizers are accompanied by historical anecdotes about Puerto Rico that you can read while the song plays in the background.
The album also includes a , which shares its name. In it, renowned Puerto Rican filmmaker and poet plays a future version of Bad Bunny and walks through his barrio — neighborhood — lamenting what once was. It offers a stark look at what a Puerto Rico without any Puerto Ricans would look like.
It might sound bizarre to those who don’t know what’s happening on the island, but it is an all too real fear that many share. In recent years, especially since Hurricane Maria, there has been a from the island. Jobs are scarce, prices are rising and it is cheaper to relocate to the mainland. People don’t want to leave, but there doesn’t seem to be much of a choice.
Additionally, with , the island has become a tax haven for wealthy Americans who move onto it, which raises prices for everyone else. There is also the big issue of Americans, both and people who have , not respecting the land or the people.
No song on the album is as clear about the situation as “,” which translates to “what happened to Hawaii.” The song serves as a love letter of sorts, but mostly a warning to all who will listen about the grim future that is in store for Puerto Rico if we are not able to fight against the continued colonization of the island.
In the song, he sings “Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa” — “they want to take the river and the beach from me.” , but recently hotels and millionaires with beachfront properties have been trying to find ways to exclude people from accessing the public beaches in front of their properties.
Puerto Rico is an incredibly beautiful island. It is visually stunning, yes, but there is a vast amount of history and culture within its beaches and mountains. Many visitors and tourists fail to see what lies beyond its physical beauty. The song “” compares a broken, superficial relationship between two people to that of tourists and the island. On the track, Bad Bunny sings “En mi vida fuistes turista / Tú solo vistes lo mejor de mí / Y no lo que yo sufría” — “In my life you were a tourist / You only saw the best of me / And not what I suffered.”
While incredibly fun to listen to, with tracks like “” and “,” all of the songs speak of a history, a culture that will not be forgotten. By including songs like “” that feature the traditional Puerto Rican music of plena, Bad Bunny is assuring the memory of our culture that it will not be forgotten.
His final song on the album, “,” is indicative of the Puerto Rican spirit. “Aquí mataron gente por sacar la bandera / Por eso ahora yo la llevo donde quiera” — “Here they killed people for waving the flag / that’s why now I take it with me everywhere.” His message is a clear cry — “Seguimo’ aquí.” We are still here. We are staying here.
Raquel Padin-Nicholas is a proud Puerto Rican who loves finding more ways to talk about Bad Bunny. Email her at [email protected] if you too want to talk to her about Benito or if you just want to buy her tickets to his new residency in PR.