All about Bad Bunny’s new album ‘Debí tirar más fotos’

Bad Bunny is not just an artist; he is a figure who has transformed music and global popular culture, and with Debí Tirar Más Fotos, his sixth studio album, he once again demonstrates his ability to reinvent himself while keeping his essence intact. Released on Sunday 5 January, just in time for Three Kings Day, the album becomes an ode to Puerto Rico, a tribute to its people, its sounds and its struggles, but also to the Puerto Rican diaspora who, like him, have taken the island with them to all corners of the world.

Although on his last album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (2023), he reflected on his personal and professional growth, on Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bad Bunny goes a step further, focusing not only on his own history, but also on that of Puerto Rico, an island marked by gentrification, forced displacement and the yearning for identity. While reggaeton remains the driving force behind many of the songs, the artist ventures to explore other genres that have defined the music of his homeland, such as salsa, bolero, plena and trap, all fused with a modern, global twist.

A tribute to tradition and migration

The album opens with a nod to the classic salsa of Un Verano en Nueva York by the Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, a song that becomes the gateway to a sound world where echoes of Puerto Rican tradition blend with contemporary reggaeton and house beats. This beginning is no coincidence: Bad Bunny is not only thinking about his music, but also about the Puerto Ricans who have had to emigrate, just as he did when he conquered the world from his island. In the track ‘NuevaYol’, for example, he refers to the Puerto Rican migration to New York, evoking a Puerto Rico in exile, where the essence of the island remains alive through the bars and the Puerto Rican culture that is still present in Brooklyn. ‘A shot of cañita at Toñita’s house, P.R. feels close,’ he sings, fondly recalling those meeting points that link the island to the Big Apple.

But emigration is not just a matter of nostalgia: it is a constant struggle. ‘Lo que le pasó a Hawái’ is one of the most significant songs on the album, where Bad Bunny takes a firm stand against the gentrification affecting Puerto Rico, comparing the island’s situation to that of Hawaii, which suffered cultural erasure after being annexed by the United States. ‘Don’t let go of the flag, I don’t want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii,’ he sings, showing his commitment to protecting his land and identity from external threats.

Bad Bunny has not stopped being a political artist. Since the beginning of his career, he has used his platform to talk about Puerto Rico’s social problems and, with Debí Tirar Más Fotos, he not only reflects on his personal life, but also on the social, economic and political context of his island. References to gentrification, Hurricane Maria and poverty not only appear in the lyrics, but also in the almost 13-minute short film he released on his YouTube channel, where he envisions a dystopian future in which Puerto Rico almost no longer exists as we know it. Directed by Bad Bunny himself along with filmmaker Ari Maniel Cruz Suárez, the short film is a strong call to awareness about the uprooting and loss of identity that the island faces, especially in the poorest neighbourhoods.

In tracks such as ‘Kloufrens’, the artist explores the contradictions of modern relationships, caught between digital expectations and emotional loneliness. Reggaeton is once again the perfect vehicle for a generational reflection on love and heartbreak in times of social media. However, not everything on the album is melancholy or social struggle. There is also space for pure and hard perreo, a tribute to the street music that saw him grow up. ‘Eoo’ is a return to the rawest reggaeton, which captures the essence of the 90s, while “Veldá”, with emerging artists Omar Courtz and Dei V, is an outpouring of youthful energy and digital flirtation.

Experimenting with Caribbean sounds such as plena and salsa is not just a nostalgic whim, but a declaration of principles: Bad Bunny is still a product of reggaeton, but also of Puerto Rico, of the island that saw him grow up and that continues to inspire him. ‘Café con ron’ is an example of this fusion, where he collaborates with Los Pleneros de la Cresta, a Puerto Rican band that mixes traditional plena with modern elements. In ‘DTMF’, the title track of the album, he fuses modern plena with reggaeton, while in ‘Voy a llevararte pa PR’, he gives us a hymn to his homeland, reaffirming with conviction that Puerto Rico will always be his home, no matter how far he goes.

What is also evident throughout ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ is a closer, more introspective Bad Bunny, who shares with the listener his reflections on the passage of time and his personal evolution. In ‘Turista’, one of the most vulnerable tracks on the album, he talks about a love that got away, comparing it to the experience of a tourist who only visits the good times, but never stays to face the hardships. This vulnerability is also expressed in ‘Perfumito nuevo’ with RaiNao, where the chemistry between the two artists creates an atmosphere of flirtation and desire on an alternative perreo track.

An album beyond reggaeton

Debí Tirar Más Fotos is a mature, complex and deeply personal work that goes beyond the reggaeton and perreo that Bad Bunny is known for. This album is a testament to his growth as an artist and as a human being, a journey through his Puerto Rican identity and a call for reflection on Puerto Rico’s social problems. At the same time, it remains an album that invites you to dance, to remember and to enjoy his music, as genuine and vibrant as ever. With this release, Bad Bunny proves that he is able to stay on top of the global music scene while remaining true to his roots. Debí Debí Tirar Más Fotos not only marks a high point in his discography, but also in the history of reggaeton and Latin music in general.

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