On January 5th, 2025, Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio) released his sixth studio album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should’ve Taken More Pictures). DTMF is often referred to as a ‘love letter’ to Puerto Rico, as he explores his roots and pays tribute to his country’s history. Benito collaborates with Puerto Rican acts such as RaiNao, Chuwi, Omar Courtz, Dei V and Los Piernos de la Cresta to create music that celebrates Puerto Rico’s musical heritage. The album has set a Spotify record of reaching 1 billion streams in 13 days, making him the fastest male artist to set that record, putting him alongside Taylor Swift in streaming history.
Bad Bunny’s past album success
Prior to DTMF, his other successful albums are Un Verano Sin Ti (2022) and YHLQMLDG (2020); these two albums showed people that reggaeton had the potential to dominate globally. YHLQMLDG/Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana (I Do Whatever I Want) features R&B, reggae, rock and electronica music elements. It broke reggaeton barriers and globalised Latin Trap, capturing the joys of being young, rebellious and reckless. This album has broken numerous records, such as being the most-streamed album globally in 2020 with over 8 billion streams and debuting at No.2 on the Billboard 200. On the other hand, Un Verano Sin Ti (A Summer Without You) broke that Spotify world record and is currently the most-streamed album of all time on Spotify with over 20 billion streams. The album contains 23 tracks that emanate a mix of carefree summer and heartbreak. Benito continues to make history and show his success through DTMF, as it became No.1 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard Global 200. Additionally, he made a cultural impact through DTMF as the majority of his songs have gone viral on both TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Puerto Rico’s past and present through sounds
The sounds of Debí Tirar Más Fotos incorporate reggaeton and other traditional Puerto Rican sounds such as plena, salsa and jibaro that reclaim Puerto Rican identity and heritage. The album’s opening song, “NUEVAYol” combines the first few seconds of El Gran Combo’s 70s salsa hit “Un Verano a Nueva York”, which then transitions into an energetic dembow rhythm that gets people on their feet. Through NUEVAYol, Benito reflects on his struggles with his Puerto Rican identity, whilst expressing his disapproval of his country losing its authenticity due to the rise of modernisation.
Released as part of his album, the song, DtMF, is what captured many people’s attention because of its relatable lyrics through a plena song fused with rap and reggaeton. The lyrics revolve around nostalgia for lost time and missed opportunities to spend time with loved ones. Although the sounds of DtMF bring a sense of nostalgia and regret within an individual, it’s also a song that unites a community through an emotional bonding experience and shared nostalgia. Many people feature this song on their TikTok videos that highlight images of loved ones who’ve passed or distant family members, evoking a widespread emotional connection. This trend moved Benito to tears, posting his reaction on TikTok.
Exploring DMTF’s lyrics
In terms of lyrics, the album revolves around nostalgia, cultural identity and resistance. The album title “I Should’ve Taken More Photos” sets the tone and dwells on lost time with loved ones, as well as missing those who have left Puerto Rico. The lyrics of this song explore the feeling of longing to spend more time with the people you love before it’s too late. The chorus of the song is accompanied by a choir, which allows listeners to reminisce and mourn those who have left.
“I should’ve taken more pictures when I had you
I should’ve given you more kisses and hugs whenever I could”
Furthermore, in “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” (What happened to Hawaii) Benito displays a cautionary tone in his lyrics as he warns Puerto Rico not to suffer the same fate as Hawaii in terms of gentrification and colonalisation by the U.S.A. Over the years, Puerto Rico has gone through a “gringo-fication” as a result of over-tourism and over-crowding, in which Benito expresses his concern about his country’s future.
“They want to take the river and the beach too. They want my neighborhood and for Grandma to leave. No, don’t let go of the flag or forget the lelolai. I don’t want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii”
Benito also takes pride in his culture through VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR (I’m Going to Take You to PR/Puerto Rico) and celebrates his roots. This song is about Benito inviting a woman he’s interested in to visit Puerto Rico to party, experience the culture and its wild nightlife. Benito reflects on expressing his desires to share his culture with someone, especially when it comes to partying.
“I’m going to take you to Puerto Rico, baby, so you can see how we dance”
Bad Bunny’s impact with DMTF
Benito has made a significant cultural impact with DTMF not only in Latin America, but across the world as well. He reminds us that music is a powerful tool that unites people, despite the language barrier. Emotions are universal, and one does not need to understand Spanish to feel the ache of regret or the heartwarming nostalgia that comes with the songs in DTMF. Ultimately, this album is indeed a love letter to Puerto Rico and to everyone else who can relate to the album.
Adam Morolla 
Jessie Goates 
Layla