On January 5th, 2025, Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny released his most-anticipated album yet, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (translating to “I should have taken more pictures”). Comprising 17 tracks of cathartic salsa, dembow and reggaeton, Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album encapsulates the empowering pride and love he holds for his home country. In its first week of release, the album became his fourth consecutive album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Notably, the song “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” became the first salsa track to occupy the number-one spot on Apple Music’s global charts.
What makes this album so successful and different from previously released sounds by the artist is its rooted political focus on Puerto Rican identity–exploring themes of memory, family, community and connection rather than yearning for success on the charts. In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Bad Bunny emphasises the personal importance of physically producing the album in Puerto Rico. This authenticity in his cultural identity permeates throughout this body of work. The album’s first track starts in the summer streets of New York with “NUEVAYoL” after which he invites us to travel back to Puerto Rico with him in the following second track “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR”.
Furthermore, the artist’s use of simple traditional salsa beats in “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” or “DtMF” invites intergenerational conversation. Group chant singing and traditional trumpet tunes open the door for dialogue among Latin American families and friends spanning generations. By appealing to a larger generational audience, older generations can recognise the traditional beats and spark necessary conversations with younger Puerto Ricans that reignite cultural pride for their origins.
“KETU TeCRÉ” and “BOKeTE” are songs invoking memories surrounding heartbreak while “TURiSTA” relates the crowding of tourists on Puerto Rican beaches to a romantic breakup. This political discourse on the gradual loss of Puerto Rican identity–where Puerto Ricans are increasingly moving away from their country–is also touched upon in “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” and “LA MuDANZA”.
Overall, this album is an empowering and crucial ode to Puerto Rican identity at a time when the territory is faced with the effects of climate change and gentrification. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is an album embedded with pride, love and joy for Latin American culture, one that does not call for direct industrial success but urges for authentic connection, community and conversation.
“Bad Bunny 2019 by Glenn Francis” by Toglenn is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.