As one of the biggest stars in the world, Bad Bunny continues to use his massive platform for good. He premiered the music video for “El Apagón” today (Sept. 16), which includes a documentary on the struggles the Puerto Rican people currently face on the island.
The music videos from Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti are still rolling out. Recently, he dropped the Elvis Crespo-inspired visual for “Neverita” and the videos for his monster hits “Me Porto Bonito” and “Tití Me Preguntó.” Now, the political house music-infused “El Apagón” is next in line.
“El Apagón” is a Puerto Rican anthem. With the song both celebrating the culture of his people and critiquing modern colonialism, he’s using the music video to put more eyes on what’s going on on the island. In the actual music video, Bad Bunny leads a party in the streets of Puerto Rico. In the shots of Benito, the Puerto Rican flag is a sky blue color, which is a pro-Independence variation of the flag.
Following the music video, there’s a nearly-20-minute documentary titled “Aquí Vive Gente” by Puerto Rican journalist Bianca Graulau. The documentary covers the displacement of Puerto Ricans on the island, focusing on how neighborhoods have become gentrified under Act 20 and 22.
Overall, the response by Puerto Rican folks online is that non-Puerto Rican people should watch the documentary to learn about the injustices happening on the island. On Twitter, one fan wrote, “If you’re a fan of Bad Bunny but don’t care about what’s going on in Puerto Rico, you are a f**king fraud and part of the problem even if you’re another latinx person.” Refinery29 fashion writer Frances Solá-Santiago added, “Bad Bunny continues to cede his platform to issues in Puerto Rico. […] A mis amigues no-puertorriqueñes, este video es lectura asignada.”
This past week, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti album returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The LP became the first in history to spend its first 18 weeks on the chart within the top two spots.
Watch the music video for “El Apagón” and the subsequent documentary below.