Bad Bunny’s ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ is a form of activism 3 Favorite 

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known to the world as Bad Bunny, has once again proven that his artistry goes far beyond reggaeton and trap. On January 5, 2025 — the eve of Puerto Rico’s cherished Three Kings Day — the Puerto Rican superstar released DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, an album that both celebrates his homeland and delivers a sobering message about its uncertain future. The album, his sixth solo project, is steeped in the rich cultural flavors of the island — from the sounds of traditional plena to deeply personal references only Boricuas would catch. Its release, alongside a moving short film, has sparked powerful conversations about identity, gentrification, and resistance.

Though fans around the globe know him for genre-bending hits and high-energy performances, Bad Bunny has long used his platform to speak out on issues facing Puerto Rico. From his 2018 anthem Estamos Bien, released a year after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, to his outspoken criticism of U.S. neglect and corruption on the island, Benito has consistently been a voice for the people. In 2022, his music video for El Apagón blurred the lines between art and activism by including an 18-minute documentary exposing the effects of Acts 20 and 22 — tax incentive laws that have led to rapid gentrification. His work highlighted how these laws disproportionately benefit wealthy mainland Americans while displacing Puerto Ricans, creating what many describe as modern-day colonialism.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS picks up that same thread, but with even deeper emotional resonance. Before the album dropped, Bad Bunny released a short film of the same name, starring renowned Puerto Rican actor Jacobo Morales. The film follows an elderly man and his sapo companion, Concho, as they navigate a rapidly changing Puerto Rico. In a heartbreaking scene at a local panadería, the man can’t order food in Spanish, can't find traditional quesitos, and can’t pay with cash — the cultural disconnect is palpable.

In the lead-up to Puerto Rico’s 2024 elections, Bad Bunny publicly supported the Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, calling for independence from the United States and urging Puerto Ricans to vote against pro-statehood candidate Jenniffer González. Though his preferred party lost, his message resounded deeply, particularly through the pre-album single Una Velita, which called out the unaddressed suffering post-Maria and the failures of the ruling party. His activism is nothing new — from his tribute to trans woman Alexa Negrón Luciano on The Tonight Show to his feminist anthems like Yo Perreo Sola and Solo de Mí, Bad Bunny has never shied away from difficult topics. But with this album, the focus is clear: Puerto Rico resists and thrives the US's colonisation.

Across 17 tracks, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is both nostalgic and urgent. Track 14, Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii, draws a direct comparison between the erasure of native Hawaiian culture and what’s now happening in Puerto Rico. Benito sings: "Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa. Quieren el barrio mío y que abuelita se vaya.” (they want to take my river, my beach, my neighborhood — and make grandma leave.)

Bad Bunny’s refusal to conform — whether musically, politically, or culturally — has made him a generational icon. While other Latino artists have shifted to English to break into the U.S. mainstream, he has remained loyal to his roots, showing the world that success doesn’t require cultural erasure. His most recent tiny desk concert further demonstrated this.