Bad Bunny has been the face of reggaetón for multiple years. And yet, his music seems to have flown over the heads of many people who don’t speak Spanish. For many listeners, myself included, the upbeat rhythms of his music get you out of your seat and dance as we let the words flow right over our head like waves lapping against the shore. But if you do speak Spanish, each word of many of his songs hit deep within your soul, even if the beat is very upbeat and exciting.
Bad Bunny is no stranger to standing up for what he believes in. After his meteoric rise to global superstardom, he cut his world tour short in 2019 to join demonstrations against then-governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló for both his personal conduct, as well as his mismanagement of the devastation that Hurricane Maria caused. As a Puerto Rican, he found it imperative to stand up for what is right, and to be a voice for the voiceless. In 2018 as well, he performed “Estamos Bien” on Jimmy Fallon’s show, where he showcased the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, as well as the joy that persisted throughout the island nation as well.
Every single release that Bad Bunny has made puts Puerto Rico in the spotlight, and yet, his sixth album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, is his most charged release to date. Whether it be through the pure, unadulterated adoration of Puerto Rico on “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR,” the horror that accompanies the growing fear of watching history repeating itself in your backyard on “LO QUE PASÓ A HAWAII” or the growing struggle for Boriquén identity on “NUEVAYoL,” Puerto Rico is woven throughout the album. Within the incredibly poignant lyrics on the album, none hit home harder than on the album’s namesake track, “DtMF.”
The track, who’s full title translates to “I Should’ve Taken More Photos,” is one that finds each individual heartstring that you have, and while lulling you into a sense of security, rips each individual one as the plena-based instrumental thumps in the background. Plena is an Afro-Boricuan genre of music that developed in the early 20th century, and was colloquially known as the periodico cantado (sung newspaper) due to the stories that were shared through the artform. A working class development across the various communities in Puerto Rico, the elites on the island turned their nose away from the music, and viewed it much in the way that hip hop was seen in the late-’80s United States.
The short film with the same name showcases an anecdote of what life in Puerto Rico has become. About a minute into the video, Jacobo Morales, the director of Lo que le Pasó de Santiago, the only Puerto Rican film to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, says, “I wish I had taken more photos to show you. Photographs are moments we’ve lived. Memories of things we’ve experienced. I didn’t use to take lots of photos or upload stories or none of that. I always said it was better to live in the moment. But when you reach a certain age, it’s not that easy to remember” while holding onto photos from his past. These photos contain memories of a time that has been lost to the sands of time. After staring at the photos, he visits a gentrified cafe, where he isn’t able to pay for his order in cash. Hearing Morales’ plight, another man came by and paid for his order. Despite Morales’ attempts to pay the man, he refused, saying, “We are still here.” Later in the film, he returns home, and hears reggaetón blasting from a car’s speakers, bringing back forgotten memories. Reggaetón, a creation of Puerto Rico, being a seldom-heard sound serves as a warning against the growing gentrification of the island.
The theme of watching your home being transformed so rapidly that you can recognize the place names but not the locations themselves is something that features heavily in the lyrics of the song itself. The chorus rings out with a choir backing Bad Bunny, providing a more ethereal atmosphere to the chorus.
“Debí tirar más foto’ de cuando te tuve /
“(I should’ve taken more pictures when I had you)/
Debí darte más beso’ y abrazo’ las veces que pude /
(I should’ve given you more kisses and hugs whenever I could)/
Ojalá que los mío’ nunca se muden /
(I hope my people never move away)/
Y si hoy me emborracho, pues que me ayuden”
(And if I get drunk today, I hope they help me out)”
As the chorus rang out over the internet, TikTok swooped in and began making videos stitching photos of their loved ones together, actually moving Bad Bunny to tears. I don’t speak a word of Spanish, but I can still feel the emotions poured into this track. It is important to hold onto these memories before they are gone.
Hearing this song brought back memories that I had somewhat forgotten about. My first family pet was my first friend. Sam was a German Shepard-Shar-pei mix, and she was the sweetest dog that I’ve ever known. And yet, despite being alive for the first half of my life, I can only remember her in her final years. Cataracts brought her to the verge of blindness, she was arthritic and her muzzle was more grey than the tan on her body. I wish I had more photos of her when she was youthful, full of life, and before she slowly began to fade.
Gentrification is a plague on the homelands of many, and yet it feels ignored at times. The only people who benefit from gentrification are the wealthy, who can afford to continue to ignore the constant problems they create. This song, as well as the rest of the album, is both a love letter to a place that is slowly slipping away, as well as a rallying cry to preserve the sanctity of the nation. If this song can help to keep the memories of the past alive, then we can continue fighting for a future we all can be proud of.
