In less than a couple of weeks, Bad Bunny’s new project “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” is a hit … and an emotional gut punch.
After watching the musician’s new 13-minute film, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, the precursor to the full album by the same name, I did something I wasn’t expecting: I cried. I cried for Puerto Rico. For everything it’s losing. For everything it’s already lost.
And, according to YouTube, the film’s been viewed by over 13 million people. So, I think it’s safe to say that Bad Bunny’s fight to save Puerto Rico is making a lot of us cry.
Bad Bunny’s Fight to Save Puerto Rico Is Making Us All Cry
The premise of the film, directed by Bad Bunny, is deceptively simple. An elderly man, played by 90-year-old Puerto Rican filmmaker and poet Jacobo Morales, represents the island’s older generation, struggling to order a coffee and pastry at a slick, corporate coffee shop. The cashier, all cold-efficiency and English jargon-y, is the face of the colonizer. The old man is us, Latinos. Through these quiet, understated moments, Bad Bunny shows us a modern-day Puerto Rico that feels unrecognizable — a metaphor for what colonization and gentrification have done to the island’s culture and spirit.
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But Bad Bunny’s not done there. Have you listened to his new song “DtMF,” or the rest of his new album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”? He’s telling all of us something. And, by the looks of it, everyone’s listening.
Bad Bunny Goes Home
This isn’t the first time a world-renowned musician has used their platform to honor their roots and highlight injustices. He reminds me of Linda Ronstadt, who, in 1987, released “Canciones de Mi Padre,” a heartfelt Grammy-winning homage to her Mexican heritage. And then there’s Gloria Estefan’s Mi Tierra, released in 1993. The pop diva stepped away from her English-language dominance to deliver a hauntingly beautiful Spanish-language album that sang to Cuba’s soul.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is walking that same path as these legends did before him — but in his own way. Unlike the glossy nostalgia of “Canciones” or “Mi Tierra,” “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” is raw, urgent, and modern. And it doesn’t just make you mourn for what’s been lost. It makes you angry about what’s being stolen right now.
When Music Becomes a Movement
Bad Bunny has transcended reggaeton. He’s no longer just the “bad conejo” spitting party anthems over a dembow beat, smoking a hookah, or dancing in Hialeah with Drake. He’s become a cultural a force to be reckoned with, using his platform to shine a spotlight on the exploitation of Puerto Rico and, along with it, Latin America.
This isn’t a lesson on assimilation. It’s an educated rebellion, well beyond the Beatles’ catchy “Revolution” of the 1960s. The English band was reluctant. Bad Bunny is not.
In a way, he’s picking up the torch for an entire region and for all generations. His new music and film reminds us of what’s at stake, not just for Puerto Rico, but for every piece of culture that’s at risk of being bulldozed by corporate greed and colonial arrogance.
Why We’re All Crying with Bad Bunny
If you’ve ever felt powerless in the face of your culture’s erasure, you’ll understand the tears. Bad Bunny isn’t just fighting for his island. He’s fighting for all of us, calling out to anyone who’s watching their community change beyond recognition. He’s summoning anyone who’s longed for a “Bad Bunny” to step in and save the heart of it all.
This is a rallying cry.
Thank you, Bad Bunny, for using your voice to elevate Puerto Rico, and Latin America along with it. And thank you for reminding us all that art can be the most powerful form of resistance.
If you haven’t watched “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” yet, or listened to this newly-released sixth solo album, please do. And grab some tissues. Oh, and maybe take more photos while you’re at it … before it’s too late.
