Bad Bunny has delivered an album that is holding the world’s attention. DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS, which translates to, “I Should’ve Taken More Photos” is about the colonization of Puerto Rico and the oppression of its people at the hands of the U.S., but is also a testament to the generations of resistance, and a preservation of Puerto Rican culture.

For two weeks in a row the album has been at No. 1 on Billboard 200 and Billboard Global 200. With 17 tracks on the album, three music videos, one short film and five features, Bad Bunny has expressed not only his love for Puerto Rico, but amplified resistance to colonization, oppression, and erasure of his home.

To understand the scope of Bad Bunny’s political commentary, some historical context is necessary. Puerto Rico was handed over from Spanish colonial rule to American colonial rule in 1898. Puerto Rico is currently an “unincorporated territory,” meaning it is under U.S. control, but the citizens of the island do not have the benefits that full citizenship should ensure, such as the right to vote. Puerto Rican independence movements have been consistently and violently suppressed by the U.S. government. Puerto Rico has a struggling economy as a result of American exploitation and mismanagement. Locals are driven out to make way for American businesses, particularly those in the all-consuming tourism, military, and agriculture industries. 

Additionally, lack of tax regulations in Puerto Rico lead to wealthy Americans buying property across the island. As a result of all of these factors, Puerto Rico’s population has declined, and many native islanders who have lived in Puerto Rico for generations can no longer afford to inhabit their home.

The song DtMF is short for DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS, and it captures the fight of honoring Puerto Rico’s culture and the heritage of the island. The song made waves on TikTok as people all over the world started a trend of sharing images and videos of Puerto Rico montage style. The message it conveys has resonated with people everywhere whose homes have been gentrified. 

In the short film/music video directed by Bad Bunny titled DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS, we follow an elder man, played by renowned Puerto Rican filmmaker, actor, and poet Jacobo Morales and Concho, his friend portrayed by a CGI coquí—an endangered Puerto Rican crested toad. The short film explores Puerto Rico’s spirit devolving with displacement and gentrification.

Starting with Morales digging up a time capsule (which Bad Bunny can be seen burying in the music video for El CluB,) he shows his old photos to Concho, reminiscing. On his way down to the neighborhood bakery, American genres of rock and country drown out the natural world. Morales finds the original owners of the neighborhood bakery gone, and the cashier there doesn’t speak Spanish. She doesn’t understand the local terminology he uses, and only the Puerto Rican man in the back knows what he is ordering. When the cashier charges him a steep price and informs him they no longer take cash, another local pays for him, gently telling him:

 “Don’t worry, Sir. We’re still here.”

At the end of the film Morales sees a car driving by blasting a Bad Bunny song and he finds himself feeling hopeful that maybe the Puerto Rico he knows isn’t completely gone. 

While the coquí in little rain boots is one of the many elements of levity, the short film is dripping with a heavy loss. Morales reminisces by looking back at old photos, wishing to preserve the island that has been forcibly taken from him before it’s too late. Both the endangered coquí and Morales are losing their homes to money hungry non-natives. The bakery is unsettlingly sterile, and even phrases like “cashless environment” bring the eerie sensation that this establishment exists at the literal expense of native Puerto Ricans. The only people eager to help Morales are other locals, and they highlight the resilience of Puerto Ricans. Despite the U.S. doing everything in its power to exploit the island, erase its culture, and drive out its people, Puerto Ricans will always remember their home and protect their communities.

Another standout is BAILE INoLVIDABLE, “Unforgettable Dance.” The intro of the song and Bad Bunny’s deep voice immediately captures your attention. The song is about an ex that Bad Bunny sees as defining the way he experiences love, but also an ode to Puerto Rican salsa music. He longs for his home island and his lost love, both of which he thought would stay the same forever. The song includes melodic references to the Puerto Rican salsa classics of Hector Lavoe, such as “Juanito Alimaña” and  “Periódico de Ayer.” The instrumentation for this track was made by students at the Ernesto Ramos Antonini Free Music School in San Juan, most of whom were between 17 and 20.

In LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii, Bad Bunny compares U.S. colonization of Hawaii to that of Puerto Rico, highlighting the sinister and cyclical nature of U.S. occupation. In the chorus, he returns to the biting lament:

“Thеy want to take my river and my beach too

They want my neighborhood and grandma to leave

No, don’t let go of the flag nor forget the lelolai

‘Cause I don’t want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii”

LA MuDANZA, “The Move,” is the closing track on the album, where Bad Bunny holds pride for his parents, his upbringing, and his Puerto Rican heritage. Following a reference to Eugenio María de Hostos, an activist for Puerto Rican independence, he concludes the album with:

“No one’ll kick me out of here, I’m not going anywhere

Tell them this is my home where my grandfather was born

I’m from Puerto fucking Rico,”

Bad Bunny’s DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS is a global hit. It is, too, an ode to Puerto Rico and call to action. It acknowledges the pain without despairing, and reminds us to keep fighting.