When Bad Bunny released DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS in 2025, it made a huge impact on me. I ordered the vinyl and received it in May of 2025. I was so excited to own this album because I was just reacquainting myself with my vinyl collection. However, I was disappointed that it didn’t come with anything “special”—like liner notes or other ephemera to please the vinyl collectors who love collecting and learning more about the album.
I created my own. Below is the essay I wrote and the PDF I created.
It is no surprise that Bad Bunny’s artistic power shines through his deep connection to his homeland, Puerto Rico. This connection unfolds not only as a love letter to the archipelago, but also as a call to resistance in DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Bad Bunny fuses genres, experiments with melodies, and foregrounds instrumentation in ways that spark dialogue, bridge generations, and uplift the struggles of Puerto Ricans. Benito navigates the full breadth of human emotion and expression—there is love and pride, fleeting moments of grief and sorrow, but above all, a sense of joy, celebration, and revelry.
He affirms his place as a formidable artist—not just by continuing to define the soundtrack of our generation’s música urbana, but by taking creative risks as a commercial artist. He digs deeper, honoring the traditional music of his homeland and drawing on the emotional richness and pastoral roots of música jíbara. To me, the highlight of the album is its collaborative spirit. Bad Bunny worked with young musicians—ages 17 to 22—from San Juan’s public conservatory, and their talent shines throughout the record.
He uplifts them as artists in their own right: you can hear it in Sebastián Torres’s stunning piano solo, or in the emphatic conga hits from Julito Gastón on “Baile Inolvidable.” Benito draws on the expertise of these rising musicians, as well as Los Pleneros de la Cresta and his longtime production team— MAG, La Paciencia, and Tainy—to craft this body of work that honors Puerto Rico’s soundscape.
One of my favorite things about Bad Bunny’s music is his ability to evoke vivid memories and elicit unknown nostalgia. Even as he draws from his own life, he leaves just enough space for the listener to insert themselves and journey down memory lane. This album resonates with me on so many levels, especially after having lived in Puerto Rico. My heart aches to return. Gracias a la gente de Puerto Rico. I am grateful for la playa, los coquis, los caseríos y los barrios, la salsa, la bomba, la plena, el reggaeton, los montes verdecitos, el sol y el calentón.
Hay que vivir, y vacillar, y reír, y gozar…y tirar más fotos.
Gracias, Benito. Sol Nova, May 19, 2025