If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many stories have been lost to time? Bad Bunny’s latest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (I Should Have Taken More Photos), is more than just a collection of songs—it’s a love letter to Puerto Rico, a warning against cultural erasure, and a meditation on the memories that slip through our fingers. Blending culturally significant music genres such as plena, bomba, salsa, and reggaeton. The album is deeply rooted in Puerto Rican identity, carrying both pride and sorrow in its melodies. Accompanied by a visually striking short film, Bad Bunny doesn’t just tell a story—he poses a question: What happens when we forget to look back?
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasi is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and songwriter. With 17 new tracks, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is a celebration of Puerto Rican “orgullo” (pride), but it also conveys anxieties about the loss of cultural heritage. Songs like LO QUE LE PASO A HAWAii (What Happened to Hawaii) reflect this tension. In two poignant lines, Bad Bunny writes, “You hear the jíbaro crying, another one who left. He didn’t want to go to Orlando, but the corrupt man kicked him out.” This forced migration mirrors the fate of Native Hawaiians, who, as a result of U.S. colonization and corporate interests, were systematically displaced from their ancestral lands. Much like Puerto Rico, Hawaii saw an influx of outside influence that prioritized profit over native communities, leading to the erosion of cultural and economic stability for locals. By drawing this connection, Bad Bunny highlights the broader issue of colonial legacies—how history continues to repeat itself, displacing indigenous and native populations in the name of progress. Through LO QUE LE PASO A HAWAii, Bad Bunny not only mourns the loss of home for many Puerto Ricans but also acknowledges a shared struggle with other colonized people, reminding listeners that the fight for cultural preservation extends far beyond the Caribbean.
Following this message, in the short film, titled after the album, follows the daily life of a jíbaro– jibaros are country folk or farmers who live in the rural areas of Puerto Rico, farming the land in a traditional way– capturing his quiet moments of nostalgia. In one particularly symbolic scene, he flips through old photographs, sharing them with a sapo concho—a Puerto Rican crested toad. This native amphibian was once thought to be extinct but was later rediscovered, reclaiming its place as Puerto Rico’s sole native toad. In the film, the sapo concho serves as a powerful allegory for Puerto Rican culture and identity—something that has been threatened, nearly lost, but ultimately still fights to survive.
To answer the question, “What happens when we forget to look back?”—we risk losing not just our history, but our identity. Through Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bad Bunny not only honors his homeland but implores listeners to cherish and protect their heritage before it slips away. The album serves as a poignant reminder that culture, like memories, can fade if we don’t fight to preserve it. This album was impactful both with its tracks, but also with its message.
