Puerto Rico's rhythm and cultural uproar, brought to you by Bad Bunny

an essay by Natalia Pereira Rodríguez

You don’t have to be Puerto Rican to deeply feel DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS in your core. You merely must allow yourself some nostalgia, a connection to yourself and another to your roots – especially if your family knows what it’s like to leave home hoping for a better life. Knowing Spanish could help you understand it more, but it’s not all that’s necessary for DTMF to reveal its whole truth to its listeners. The reality of our modern day is that countless people, not just Puerto Ricans, wish they could stay with their loved ones in their countries, but instead, they find themselves dreading the day their children and grandchildren may have the need to leave them behind. That’s the harsh truth that not everyone understands or is ready to assimilate. I believe this ignites the soul of those who connect with the album most, and, somehow, it’s only a single wave of many hitting the shores of the album.

Those bouncing within the waves of DTMF, just like Puerto Ricans at their picturesque beaches, don’t drown in the actuality that Bad Bunny proudly presents this work as an homage to all things Boricua. Instead, by accepting who he’s written it for, they can submerge themselves among the tides of the album. It is because of that that others who have been through their own diaspora, Latine or not, find themselves represented in the loss of home entangled with never letting go of one’s culture, even when others wish to strip them of it. To that note, LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii (What happened to Hawai’i) is the song whose lyrics and cadence of the güiro move you to suffer the loss of the coasts, the rivers, the barrios, and even the elderly, the colonizers are so comfortable with taking from them. This is where he tells his people to hold on to their flag so that Puerto Rico doesn’t become like Hawai’i, controlled by the U.S. and gentrified like in the short film produced to accompany this release.

It is in this sixth studio album that, more than ever, Bad Bunny experiments with the contemporary sounds that have established him at the top, accompanied by the generational sounds of reggaeton, salsa, bomba, and plena, all of which have raised and inspired him in Puerto Rico. Therefore, this experimentation and nurturing doesn’t solely extend to the production of its songs but also to the YouTube visualizers that highlight much of Puerto Rico’s history in bite-sized lessons written by Jorell Meléndez Badillo and even the music videos themselves. For example, BAILE INoLVIDABLE (Unforgettable dance), directed by Kacho López-Marí, El CLúB, directed by Stillz, and PiToRRO DE COCO, directed by Benito himself and Robinson Florian, carry some of the heaviest traditional Puerto Rican influence with their rhythm and visual storytelling. In that exact order, you’ll find a salsa created with current and former students of well-known schools Escuela Libre de Música Ernesto Ramos Antonini and Escuela Especializada en Bellas Artes Pablo Casals, plus an electronic rhythm combined with plena (an Afro-Puerto Rican genre) and lastly, a nostalgic jíbaro beat, similarly of Afro-Caribbean descent, that perfectly goes with the title of its song – a popular drink enjoyed during Christmas time that is a local version of moonshine with rum.

Also Puerto Rican, like a perfectly crafted pitorro, are DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’ featured artists and producers. The album, made with admiration of Puerto Rican culture, has three songs showcasing the newer talent the island continues to brew and that streamers have been consistently savoring since 2020. Santurce-born RaiNao, Carolina singers Omar Courtz and Dei V, and Isabela locals Chuwi bring forward several genres the younger generations follow. In addition to them, Los Pleneros de la Cresta bring the energy Puerto Ricans everywhere are known for in the upbeat collaboration titled CAFé CON RON (Coffee with rum). So upbeat and nationalistic that, weeks after the album’s release, the anthems’ lively chorus and celebration of the archipelago reigned the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián with its familiar predecessor, Voy Subiendo.

This shows that Bad Bunny takes you through many genres and feelings, as in most of his albums. Trust whatever direction he may take you, whether it’s partying, love or heartbreak, reggaeton, or a new blend of genres. Allow yourself to stay hooked on his craft for as long as your heart and mind tell you to. If you’re not over a heartbreak, listen to the eleventh track, TURiSTA (Tourist), which holds two equally desolate meanings. This bolero, true to the genre, with its melancholic guitar, will deal a crushing blow if you’ve recently been through a rupture and believe this person only saw the best of you. All the sunshine and none of the sorrow. Very similar to a tourist visiting Puerto Rico or any other beautiful place like it. They take pictures with stunning sunsets, visit for a good time, and never fully see all the hurt and struggle in one place or person. It’s fun while it lasts, but sad for the party that remains with the reality once the other is gone. Whether you’re crushed by love or someone who hates to see their country ache when others ignore it – or both – TURiSTA will be the song and music video to grieve with, the one to tug at your heartstrings alongside Puerto Ricans.

However, no song will tug at your heartstrings more than the title track. With its perfect mash-up of plena and reggaeton, DTMF yearns for more time with loved ones, whether they’ve moved or are more permanently away. During it, feel how it longs for more pictures, hugs, kisses, and chances to appreciate the good times. More than that, perhaps you’ll connect with its hope for their favorite people to be able to stay in Puerto Rico. This is the longing of many, in a number that hooks you from the first notes and grieves with you whatever you should’ve treasured more. It’s the one that convinces you to value everything you forget to. Whether it be curiosity over food, traditions, and culture or conversations and dynamics with the people you cherish most, let this motivate you to discover more about what makes you who you are. As Bad Bunny did for the closing track, LA MuDANZA, ask questions, be curious about your family’s story, and be proud to tell it.

If you connect with the album through its personal story of diaspora, gentrification, and the fight against it, know that this Puertorriqueña and the singer himself understand and live your same fight alongside many others. Allow this album and its local 30-day concert residency No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí (I don’t want to leave here), to inspire you to bond with your people and stay engaged with your roots in whatever way feels most natural to you, like Bad Bunny has with this project. Don’t just hear the album. Listen to the message that lies on the sandy coast of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Sit under the shade of its sturdy palm trees and be a part of the listeners whose hearts are filled with cultural pride, the spirit to never let people take their home from them, and the fearlessness to love their country and loved ones wholeheartedly. And on the off chance, you don’t personally relate to the message within DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS but continue to drift to its captivating tunes... I encourage you to keep admiring it while conscious of why this album came about in the first place. When you’re laughing at his SNL sketches and admiring his performances or interviews and suddenly feel the urge to travel to Puerto Rico for his shows, just know we expect you to respect our people, traditions, and land as if it were your own. That’s the wave we expect you to ride.