Seguimo Aquí (We’re still here)

Bad Bunny

Annika Prickett

ENGLISH (article was originally written in Spanish and translated over)

BENITO MARTÍNEZ OCASIO, a.k.a Bad Bunny’s 6th studio album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” (“DtMF”) is as much an homage to Puerto Rico as it is a call to action—a call of resistance to the Puerto Rican people. For much of their history, Boriquas used music as a form of cultural defiance to defend against U.S. colonialism. Cultural autonomy is a matter of maintaining one's identity and way of life on the island. The music itself is a vibrant blend of bomba, salsa, and plena–rhythms with Caribbean roots, fusing the music of yesteryear and today. It is an ode to the generations of Puerto Ricans that grew up hearing musica Jíbara blaring through the stereos on Sunday mornings. Take “NUEVAYoL” for example. The headliner track for the album opens with a sample of “Un Verano en Nueva York,” a ‘70s salsa song that pulls on both the heartstrings and hips of older generations. “NUEVAYoL” directly references Puerto Rico’s dialect, substituting the “R” for an “L” sound, “que sueña mejor así,”—it sounds better like that Benito says, reminding his people to take pride in their origins.  

But resistance is nothing new for Puerto Ricans, nor Bad Bunny himself. As the title suggests, Benito implores listeners to take more photos. Of loved ones yes, but also of the sacred—your land and your home—things that Bad Bunny emphasizes can be seized or altered at any given moment. These themes are explored in the short film which shares a namesake of the album where the iconic Boricua actor Jacobo Morales represents an older Bad Bunny feeling like a foreigner on his island. He refers to this imperialist trick in the song “Lo Que le Pasó a Hawaii” in which he issues a warning to his people of the danger that approaches, should they submit to the gentrification and commercialization of their homeland. Benito affirms that Puerto Rico isn’t for sale—and he’s prepared to fight to the end for her. 

 “DtMF” is a time capsule that, like Pitorro de Coco, distills centuries of history into just over an hour. It is written for, performed by, and dedicated to Puerto Ricans without shame, not caring whether you understand the language or slang. There are plenty who enjoy this album without understanding the deeper significance. As they dance in clubs and participate in the DtMF trend online, they affirm Bad Bunny’s message—that if nothing changes in the coming years, those who occupy PR won’t have the reverence for the land that it deserves. 

The past years have been mixed for Benito. His last album had a lukewarm response and some say he’d lost his way. “DtMF” was him finding his way back to the light, and, in the process, he created a masterpiece that touches people across space and time. The magic of music is that it speaks directly to your soul. What Bad Bunny accomplished is to declare to his people that their continued existence itself is a form of resistance. He affirmed to them that, yes—WE’RE STILL HERE. 

ESPAÑOL 

“Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” el sexto album de Bad Bunny es tanto una carta del amor a Puerto Rico que es una promesa que la protegaré. Es una llamada, un grito de resistenciá a su gente. Los Boriquas por tanto de su historia utilizaban la musica como forma de combatir culturalmente el colonismo estadunidense. Era un asunto de mantener su identidad, su forma de ser. 

La musica a si misma del album es una mezcla vibreante entre bomba, salsa, plena–ritmos que tienen origen en el caribe y que fusiona la musica de anteayer y la moderna. Es una oda a todos los generaciones Puertorriqueños que creí escuchando musica jíbara los domingos, mientras su mama le despertó para limpiar la casa. 

Pero la resistencia no es nada nuevo para los Puertorriqueños ni para Bad Bunny. En este caso, Benito implora como el titulo sugiera de tirar más fotos. De tus queridos, sino también de tu tierra, algo sagrado que Bad Bunny enfatiza puede tomarse o cambiarse en cualquier momento. Se refiere a este truco imperialista en su canción Lo que le Pasó a Hawaii en la que le da un aviso a su gente del peligro que viene si no les protegen a su tierra, su historia, su autonomia. Benito afirma esto: Puerto Rico no se vende–y luchará hasta el final. 

Lo que DtMF representa es una capsula del tiempo. Escrito de, realizado por, y dedicado a los Boricuas sin verguenza ni importa si entiendes la lengua o la jerga. Porque sin duda, será gente que disfruta el album sin conocerse del significado más profundo. Que se bailen en las discotecas y participan en las tendencias en redes sociales, y de cierta forma, es el mensaje Bad Bunny está tratando converse–si nada cambia en los proximos años, los que se quedan en PR no tendrá la reverencía que merece la tierra les ocupan. 

Los ultimos años eran mixtos para Benito. Su ultimó album tenía revistas mezcladas y había algunos que decía estaba perdida. Con DtMF, se encontró la luz, y en el proceso creó una obra de arte que toca la gente atrás generaciónes y etnicidades. La magía de la musica es que habla directamente a tu alma. Lo que hecho Bad Bunny es afirmar a su gente que su existencía a si mismo sí es forma de resistir. Les dío la afirmación que sí–SEGUIMOS AQUÍ.