Despite his recent selection as the musical guest of the 2026 Super Bowl, Bad Bunny has never chased the spotlight.
Throughout his rise, he has avoided the clout-searching pattern of securing feature performances from big-name artists or contributing on other people’s albums for extra cash. He does not crave awards or streaming records. He does not make music to secure global sellout crowds. He sings mostly in Spanish, embracing his native language at the expense of potentially fostering more English-speaking fans.
No, Bad Bunny (or Benito as he is often called) does not make sacrifices for the sake of popularity. But thanks to a growing following, he’s one of those rare artists that can’t help but be popular.
Listen to Benito sing and you quickly uncover that his passion is the musical history of his home and family: Puerto Rico.
With his sixth album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (I Should Have Taken More Photos), Bad Bunny has ushered in a new era of Latin pop music while honoring the legends that came before him.
Música urbana, as his music is known to listeners in Bad Bunny’s native Puerto Rico, relies on a soulful blend of reggaeton, pop, rap, and trap music. His music draws from a deep well of Latin styles such as plena, salsa, jíbaro, and bomba.
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (DTMF) serves as a summation of Bad Bunny’s homage to Puerto Rico and a celebration of its diversity and enduring musical legacy. Released on Jan. 5 (Three Kings Day in Puerto Rico), DTMF honors a complicated national history marked by revolution and religion. He crafts a musical kaleidoscope bridging the past, present, and future of música urbana.
Regret. Independence. Hope. Identity. Home. Relationships.
Bad Bunny peppers these themes throughout DTMF while grappling with Puerto Rico’s history. He eventually realizes he’s not the only one who wishes they could have taken more photos along the way to remember his home. It’s his plea for his audience to join him in not making the same mistake again … while also encouraging them to spend some time moving those hips out on the dance floor.
On DTMF, Bad Bunny yearns for the Puerto Rican community to focus on the memories of their musical heritage.
Opening track, “NUEVAYoL” lights a fuse of affection for summertime in New York City, which is a common landing spot of Puerto Rican immigrants. Benito sings, “Si te quieres divertir con encanto y con primor” (“If you want to have fun with charm and elegance”). Bad Bunny clearly has the answers.
“WELTiTA,” “BOKeTE,” and “TURiSTA” each portray thriving relationships through different lenses. In this trio of songs, Bad Bunny has seemingly found stability in a relationship focused on mutual respect and love.
On “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” Benito describes an unforgettable dance with a partner he can’t forget, singing, “Y yo tenía muchas novia’/Pero como tú, ninguna” (I’ve had many girlfriends, but none like you”). On an album otherwise concerned with finding as many dance partners to sleep with as possible, it’s an uncommon moment where Bad Bunny seems committed to one person.
Make no mistake, Bad Bunny is undoubtedly here to spend his time at the club and join any party he can find.
“PERFuMITO NUEVO” is a straightforward tale of finding someone you want to take home at the end of a night. In this far-too-common scene, Bad Bunny cannot help but want to “O buscarme pa’ ch—– y yo se lo voy a dar a la hora que sea” (“look for me to f— and give it to her all the time”).
On “VeLDÁ” Bad Bunny describes how a picturesque walk on the beach quickly turns into a sex-fueled fantasy. Later in the song, he describes looking at pictures of her in sexual poses before officially meeting.
While most of Bad Bunny’s lyrics are in Spanish, he makes exceptions for profanity. Several songs use the f-word in both sexual and non-sexual situations, paired with a variety of other English curse words carrying different connotations in Spanish. In total there are nearly two dozen uses of the f-word and a scattering of the s-word, b–ch, d—, and a–.”
“KLOuFRENS” sees Bad Bunny repeat the question: “¿Cómo d—— vo’a olvidarte si ya te vi sin ropa?” (“How the h— can I forget you when I’ve seen you without your clothes?”). It’s an unfortunate question that reveals the lasting effects of crossing boundaries intended for a committed relationship in the context of marriage.
“EoO” is the album’s most vulgar song in describing how Bad Bunny sees a relationship as simply transactional–not worth anything more than physical satisfaction to be discarded when there’s nothing left.
Title song “DtMF” can be seen as well as heard: The song’s accompanying video is a short film with a stunning level of production. The song splices together scenes from Bad Bunny’s memories of Puerto Rico and culminates in the repeated line of wishing he could have taken more photos … namely of a girl with little to no clothing as his defining image of Puerto Rico.
On “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR,” Benito claims he’s found the one he wants to spend his life with and all he needs to do is get her back to Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, his plans for when they arrive involve telling her to assume a sexual position and for them both to get “Bien borracho” (“Very drunk”).
“NUEVAYoL” contains a few references to taking “Un shot de cañita” (A shot of beer”) and being “Ando con mi primo borracho” (“drunk with my cousin…”). “CAFé CON RON” continues the theme as Benito sings about coming home after a night of partying and all he wants is a cup of coffee with rum.
On “KETU TeCRÉ,” Benito sings about the falling out he had in a recent relationship and how it makes him: “Yo soy celoso con mis sentimiento’/Entonces me encojona, me duele, me molesta/ Mostrárselo’ a alguien que no lo merece” (“Jealous with my feelings/Then it makes me angry, it hurts, it bothers me/To show it to someone who doesn’t deserve it”).
“EL CLúB” reveals a regretful Bad Bunny wondering why God let his ex get away. He questions God saying, “Yo le pedí a Dios
Pero Él también me ghosteó” (I don’t know what happened/I asked God but he ghosted me too”).
“BAILE INoLVIDABLE” sees Bad Bunny describes his girl as “mi diabla, mi ángel, mi loquita” (“my devil, my angel, my crazy girl”).
DTMF’s closing song, “LA MuDANZA” recounts Bad Bunny’s family history. He touches on how his parents were in love, then separated, only to repeat the pattern several times in his life.
Despite his absent parents, Bad Bunny sings about how Puerto Rico became his home. The political changes throughout his nation collided with family troubles to show him how to stay resilient.
If only these lessons bled over into Benito’s outlook on his personal and romantic relationships.
DTMF arrives as Bad Bunny moves into his 30s. For most in a similar position, the decade is marked by transitions into adulthood—starting a family for those who wish and settling into maturity as life moves on. Throughout this album though, Bad Bunny makes it clear that he has different intentions.
He populates the club. He proliferates on one-night stands. He pops up on any available dance floor looking for the next young woman to entice and start a hopeless relationship with.
The strongest portions of the album touch on his family’s heritage set against the shadow of a Puerto Rico he cherishes and honors. It’s unfortunate that these moments are sparse and drowned out by his louder messages of careless sex and harsh descriptions of women, because he truly does honor a portion of North America rarely in the spotlight.
Bad Bunny may wish he could take more photos to remember the home where he grew up and now calls his own. Sadly, if this album is any indication, those photos would contain little worth remembering as they are filled with his vain and vulgar lifestyle.
Jackson Greer is a High School English Teacher in the suburbs of Texas. He lives in Coppell, Texas with his wife, Clara. They love debating whether or not to get another cat and reading poetry together. Also, he is a former employee of Focus on the Family’s Parenting Department.
