World-renowned Puerto-Rican artist “Bad Bunny” is mostly known for his catchy and livid “reggaeton” style of music. His style follows a simple beat that is often played in clubs, parties and events in which people tend to be overwhelmed with emotions and glaring lights.
“Debí Tirar Más Fotos” (DTMF) is an album that escapes Benito’s norms as he dives deep into a part of his childhood he seemed to have lost through reggaeton. When I first listened to DTMF, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. From the music to the album cover, everything about the album felt like a heartfelt message to all people in the world: Enjoy every moment to its fullest.
Throughout the album we see Bad Bunny dealing with many issues related to culture and even his own career. In tracks like “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii”, Benito shares his worries of Puerto Rico turning into another American colony that slowly loses its identity, just like Hawaii. He went as far as to release a video also titled DTMF in which Benito and his frog friend “Concho” navigate through a Puerto Rico that has been completely revamped into a more American setting. In this “dystopian” Puerto Rico, there are no more traditional dishes, kids only play reggaeton and people barely speak Spanish. Here we see how Benito expresses his worries of participating in Puerto Rico’s loss of culture. He feels that since he made it so far with reggaeton, other Puerto Ricans no longer listen to more traditional music.
With these worries in mind, Benito crafted an album that brings nostalgia and a heavy cultural impact for his home country. This album truly feels like a message and even a memoir for Puerto Rico in which Benito goes through an impressive shift in instrumental composition to make the album feel more traditional.
The album starts off with the ecstatic track titled “NUEVAYoL”, a song that immediately brings emotion and a racing heart to any listener. The third track titled “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” is definitely one of Benito’s most outstanding tracks in the album. This song has such a vast change in meaning and instrument compared to any other album that Bad Bunny had released which helps to set a more cultural approach to the album. “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” barely uses any sort of reggaeton or trap elements and settles for a more traditional “bolero” style of music.
There are still many songs that use trap and reggaeton features, but it’s those songs that don’t that turn this album into an experience and almost a trip to Benito’s homeland. It’s as if Benito wants to showcase his love for his home in the best way he can: music.
The last two songs of the album are definitely the most important ones. The penultimate track titled “DtMF” is a beautiful and nostalgic piece in which Benito is saying how he wishes he spent more time with those he loved and taken more pictures of those memories. It’s a track in which Benito truly opens up to the listener. He sounds emotional, nostalgic and is constantly saying how he wishes he took more photos.
As for the last track, what better way to end an album about your country than to have people from your country yelling it in the background. “LA MuDANZA” is the last track of the album, and in my opinion the best. It’s a track that serves as a defiant claim from not only Benito, but all of Puerto Rico in which they reassert their love and passion for their country.
Overall, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” is an impressive shift in Bad Bunny’s catalog. During most of the album we see a man who is no longer the flamboyant self he used to be, but a more emotional man who loves his country and the people in it. Final rating: 9/10
