DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS: Bad Bunny’s Reclamation of Puerto Rico

Bad Bunny’s most recent album, DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS (DtMF) (2025), is a profound reclamation of his Puerto Rican heritage in an era of commercialization and gentrification. The album’s title roughly translates to “I Should’ve Taken More Photos,” and it reflects both personal nostalgia and a broader cultural longing for a changing homeland. While DtMF retains the elements that made Bad Bunny a global superstar—such as his conversational lyrics that speak to listeners, high-paced cadence, and influences from a variety of artists—it marks a significant transformation from the surface-level reggaeton party anthems and dirty lyrics of his earlier works. As his sixth studio album, DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS is Bad Bunny’s most political and cultural project to date, proving that his success has not distanced him from his roots but instead deepened his connection with them. 

DtMF focuses on the issues that plague Puerto Rico, emphasizing the gentrification and isolation of being a United States territory without the rights or respect of a state. Bad Bunny expresses his concerns in the album, focusing on preserving his cultural identity against external factors. In the song “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” he addresses how the overdevelopment of Puerto Rico erodes the island’s cultural identity, drawing a parallel to a similar situation in Hawaii. A short film Bad Bunny released with the album shows an elderly Puerto Rican man walking through what used to be his town and finding it Americanized, as evident by the man’s neighborhood bakery selling vegan quesitos, not taking cash, only speaking English, and ridiculing his accent. Lines such as “Quieren el barrio mio” (They want my neighborhood) and the lament “Debí tirar más fotos de cuando te tuve” (I should have taken more pictures when I had you) express a deep mourning for a bygone era and a fierce determination to preserve what remains.

This sense of loss and resistance is emphasized further in his song “TURiSTA,” which portrays a fleeting relationship in which the narrator’s lover dismisses their partner’s struggles, focusing solely on seeking enjoyment. The song’s wistful guitar opening and slow pace frame it as a romantic lament, but beyond this, the song serves as a broader metaphor for the exploitation of Puerto Rico; tourists go to drink Bacardi on beaches and stroll through Old San Juan without acknowledging the island’s struggles. Bad Bunny extends this critique in “BOKeTE,” a song about a relationship growing distant, by comparing his lover to a pothole in Puerto Rico. These potholes, or “boketes,” symbolize more than just crumbling roads; they are remnants of the devastation Hurricane Maria left—a disaster that the mainland U.S. largely overlooked, causing the deaths of 4645 people without changing the official death count from 64. This song lacks the beat and instrumentation typically seen in his other tracks, reflecting both the isolation he felt in the relationship and the sense of abandonment experienced by the people of Puerto Rico as they cleaned up the hurricane’s rubble on their own.

The commitment Bad Bunny feels to his culture and his people is further emphasized throughout the album in “NUEVAYoL,” a salsa-inspired track that remains faithful to the genre’s traditional storytelling format. Its title, a playful nod to the common Puerto Rican pronunciation of “New York,” is an acknowledgement of the deep connection between the city and Puerto Rican culture. The track opens with a sample of El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico’s beloved “Un Verano en Nueva York,” and it immediately establishes an atmosphere of tradition and longing; lyrics like “Un shot de cañita en casa de Toñita y PR se siente cerquita” (One shot of cañita at Toñitas and PR feels close) evoke familiar scenes—such as the Williamsburg bar Toñitas, a cherished haunt for Nuyoricans (New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent), including Bad Bunny—that ground the listener in a shared cultural memory. Using a dembow drum beat and a strong bass, the track evokes the sounds of a club in Puerto Rico, inspiring listeners to dance no matter where they’re tuning in from. Throughout the song, Bad Bunny pays tribute to influential figures like Willie Colón and Big Pun, also mentioning the song “Capea el Dough,” showing that despite being the most streamed Latin artist worldwide—the “rey del pop, ey, con reggaetón y dembow?” (king of pop, reggaeton, and dembow)—he stands on the shoulders of Latin artists who paved the way.

DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS represents the influence of a myriad of genres, from salsa to reggaeton, dembow, and more. One song that stands out is “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” characterized by its unforgettable trumpets and salsa beat. A chorus of singers back up Bad Bunny’s vocals, which not only enhances the overall sound but also connects him to the community that he has built his career on.Though the song is energetic, its lyrics reflect on the upsides and the downsides of past relationships. Specifically, Bad Bunny does this through lines such as “Tú me enseñaste a querer / Me enseñaste a bailar” (You taught me how to love / You taught me how to dance). In contrast, “EoO” channels reggaeton’s vibrant energy, cleverly featuring samples from “Perreo Baby” by Hector & Tito alongside a snippet from one of Bad Bunny’s own songs, “Solo de Mí.” Collaborations with many other Puerto Rican artists further enrich the sonic landscape; on “CAFé CON RON,” Los Pleneros de la Cresta infuses the track with a combination of modern pop influences and classic salsa, and “VeLDÁ” features the emerging talents Omar Courtz and Dei V. The album collectively celebrates Puerto Rico’s musical roots and the cultural future it embodies. 

DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS is an incredible, politically charged album. Its messaging—conveyed through upbeat music that combines salsa, plena, and reggaeton—pushes the boundaries of the reggaeton genre in a way Bad Bunny has never done before. As he zooms in on the current issues in Puerto Rico, bringing awareness to the gentrification and corruption that is rampant in the territory, he asserts the importance of remembering and preserving Puerto Rico’s cultural identity amid external forces. By using his platform to reflect on the struggles of his homeland, Bad Bunny not only reinforces his deep connection to Puerto Rican heritage but also encourages listeners to reflect on their role in protecting it from further erasure. All of this makes for an authentically Puerto Rican album that is a pleasure to experience in its entirety.