LISTEN: Bad Bunny’s ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’ Album Is Finally Out
Photo by Eric Rojas.
Bad Bunny’s sixth album just dropped! On Jan. 5, the Puerto Rican icon released his newest album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (I Should Have Taken More Photos), primarily influenced by Puerto Rican folk music called jíbara as an ode to his home island. The album spans genres like salsa, plena, house, dembow, and reggaeton.
“I’ve been dreaming about this album for years, and seeing it come to life has brought me immense happiness,” Benito shared in a press statement. “I’ve always been honest with my followers, and through this new production, they’ll continue to learn more about me as I, too, discover more about myself.”
He continued: “This album is the result of the experiences that have led me to get to know myself better, even getting to know the rhythms I enjoy most — the ones I truly enjoy singing and creating. I am Puerto Rican, I am Caribbean, and my music, my culture, my country’s history run through my veins, from plena to reggaeton. At the peak of my career and popularity, I want to show the world who I am, who BENITO ANTONIO is, and who PUERTO RICO is. The best is yet to come.”
The new album starts with a salsa intro on “NUEVAYoL,” but quickly turns into a dembow-inspired track. “NUEVAYoL” name-drops the city’s best, such as Dominican professional baseball player Juan Soto and the Carribean social club Toñita’s. The album continues diving into reggaeton on “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR,” but doesn’t stay in one genre for long. It continues with “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” which starts with an enticing synth-heavy intro and converts to a salsa post-breakup track. In a new interview released today (Jan. 5), Benito revealed that the album’s salsa pieces were made with the help of Puerto Rican musicians from the island’s Escuela Libre de Música, all ages 18 to 21, demonstrating that the genre is still alive by the hands of its newer generation. The salsa songs are also in collaboration with rising Puerto Rican producer Big Jay. Other producers on the album are long-time collaborators Tainy, MAG, and La Paciencia, as well as up-and-comer Saox.
The new album continues with “PERFuMITO NUEVO” with RaiNao, cueing the Puerto Rican singer’s alt-perreo. It also features Chuwi on the beach-ready and rhythmic “WELTiTA,” which dips into bossa nova and house music. It also shouts out Jarabe De Palo’s iconic song “La Flaca.” The album’s BPM increases with perreo-ready collaboration “VeLDÁ” with Dei V and Omar Courtz, featuring an outro by Puerto Rican reggaeton icon Wisin. In the aforementioned interview, Benito revealed that these features were all artists he listened to while away on tour, which made him feel like he was back home.
After “VeLDÁ,” “EL CLúB” comes in with its experimental emo-infused plena and house soundscape. The break-up vibes continue with nostalgic reggaeton banger “KETU TeCRÉ,” the ethereal track “BOKeTE,” and the sentimental tune “KLOuFRENS.” “TURiSTA” is next, highlighting a traditional acoustic guitar backing up Benito’s croons about a past love. “CAFé CON RON” with Pleneros de la Cresta continues featuring rhythmic plena music, a rich staple in the singer’s island’s musical history. It opens the path for the plena-infused track “PIToRRO DE COCO.”
Perhaps one of the most hard-hitting songs of the album is “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” which touches on the island’s gentrification. Its point is made with the chorus that sings, “Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa / Quieren al barrio mío y que abuelita se vaya / No, no suelte’ la bandera ni olvide’ el lelo lai / Que no quiero que hagan contigo lo que le pasó a Hawaii.”
The album wraps up on a lighter note, with perreo-ready anthem “EoO,” the nostalgic bomba and plena-infused track “DtMF” and the salsa-forward jam “LA MuDANZA,” which features an intro of Benito talking about his life and reiterates his love for Puerto Rico.
Moreover, Benito released PowerPoint-like visualizers for each track featuring Puerto Rican history and facts.
Listen to DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS below.
