Who is Jacobo Morales, the Puerto Rican Filmmaker Featured on Bad Bunny’s Album Teaser?
Courtesy of Spotify.
In case you missed it, Bad Bunny is back! Yesterday (Dec. 26), the Puerto Rican icon announced his upcoming album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, officially coming out on Jan. 5, 2025. He also released his newest single, “PIToRRO DE COCO.” The album announcement and release date were officially announced by the Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales, but who is he exactly?
The album’s announcement, a teaser video posted on Instagram, features Morales, one of the most influential film directors from Puerto Rico. In the short video, Morales talks about his life and memories with his friend Concho, a Puerto Rican toad. He talks about how he met many people and saw many countries during his lifetime, but none like Puerto Rico.
He also says that he wishes he would’ve taken more photos to show his lived experiences, which he regrets now. “I wasn’t one to take many pictures or post stories – nothing like that. I would say it was better to live in the moment. But as you get older, remembering isn’t as easy. I should have taken more photos, lived more, I should’ve loved more when I had the chance,” he tells his friend. The end of the visual reveals Benito’s new album’s name and release date.
But Morales is more than just Benito’s album announcer. Like many of Bad Bunny’s past projects, he frequently features Puerto Rican greats – and this time is no different. Morales is a beloved filmmaker, actor, director, and poet from Lajas, Puerto Rico. One of his biggest milestones is receiving an Oscar nomination for Lo que le pasó a Santiago (Best International Film), which he directed in 1989. To this day, it is still the only Puerto Rican film ever nominated for an Academy Award in history, cementing Morales as one of Puerto Rico’s most influential filmmakers.
More films he has spearheaded include Dios los cría (1979), which also features Puerto Rican history, and the rom-com Linda Sara (1994), which starred Puerto Rican singer and actor Chayanne and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.
“Puerto Rican cinema must have as its starting point the conviction that it goes far beyond entertainment. The link between our culture and our identity is indispensable to continue opening the field in the world,” Morales said during a film industry tribute at the Capitolio de Puerto Rico last year.
Bad Bunny isn’t the only one giving the filmmaker his flowers. Puerto Rican icon Ivy Queen also praised Morales in the album’s announcement comments. She said: “If there is something unquestionable about @badbunnypr is his love for Puerto Rico! And the way he honors and exalts great personalities of our land. He shows absolute respect and support for the contribution of each one of them. To think of Don Jacobo Morales que duroooooo Benito. Can’t wait to hear what you will give.”
We’ll keep an eye out to see who else Bad Bunny celebrates in his new album’s rollout.