{"id":2590,"date":"2025-10-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/?p=2590"},"modified":"2025-10-21T16:19:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T20:19:32","slug":"debi-tirar-mas-fotos-bad-bunnys-love-letter-to-puerto-rico-and-an-upcoming-super-bowl-victory-for-the-latino-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/2025\/10\/22\/debi-tirar-mas-fotos-bad-bunnys-love-letter-to-puerto-rico-and-an-upcoming-super-bowl-victory-for-the-latino-community\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS\u201d: Bad Bunny\u2019s Love Letter to Puerto Rico and An Upcoming Super Bowl Victory for the Latino Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By Anna Trevathan, Managing Editor<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Screenshot from the \u201cBAILE INoLVIDABLE \u201d video, featuring Bad Bunny performing in front of a large salsa band<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS<\/em>, or DTMF<\/em>, spent four weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, which should come as no surprise to anyone who listened (or translated) the album and its lyrics. The album is an ode to memories: memories of lost loved ones, lost homelands to tourism, and the simple life Bad Bunny himself has lost in the pursuit of fame and his career. The title itself, \u201cDeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1s FOToS<\/em>\u201d translates in English to \u201cI should have taken more photos\u201d, a sentiment that many fans and, honestly, most human beings on Earth have felt at one point or another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Memories, Loss, and Gentrification<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

For me personally, this album made me think about my brother who passed away and it helped me find peace in the photos that we never got to take together. The memories I have no way to relive other than the snapshots in my mind. Alongside the loss of my brother, I have also been seeing video upon video of tourists visiting and living in Mexico City for cheap lifestyles and complaining about the spice at taco stands. If you are reading this and feeling like this does not apply to you, I would like you to think about Californians moving into Tennessee for the same reason, and the prices of houses becoming unattainable for our average Knoxvillian. There is a rhetoric going around that his music is exclusionary, but I guarantee you this album is your ticket into Bad Bunny, and that you will find one line you relate to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Screenshot from the \u201cNUEVAYoL\u201d video, featuring a mix of Puerto Rican, Chilean, Cuban and Panamanian Flags<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other hit singles off the album include \u201cNuevayol,\u201d which I like to think of as the Latino version of Sinatra\u2019s \u201cNew York, New York.\u201d It\u2019s an ode to all things New York, and all of the diverse Latino population that helps make the city what it is. This song also features a sample from a classic song, \u201cUn Verano en Nueva York\u201d by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico \u2013 a song which, if you\u2019ve been Salsa dancing in the last decade, you should be plenty familiar with. If you haven\u2019t, I recommend learning before this winter (more on that later!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identity: A Soundtrack <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBaile Inolvidable\u201d is another viral track off the album, which came with such joy for the Latino community. This is a song that touches on one of the first expressions of love in the Latino community, which is being taught how to dance. The refrain of the song goes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, no te puedo olvidar\/ No, no te puedo borrar\/ T\u00fa me ense\u00f1aste a querer\/ Me ense\u00f1aste a bailar.\u201d \/\/ Translated in English<\/em>: \u201cNo, I can’t forget you\/ No, I can’t erase you\/ You taught me how to love\/ You taught me how to dance.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this song could be about an ex, and possibly is, having these lyrics coupled with an amazing salsa sound and a big band in the back makes me emotional every time I hear it, even on my thousandth listen. I can close my eyes and see my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents dancing in the yard in the summertime with a CD playing from the car radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo Me Quiero Ir de Aqu\u00ed\u201d: Politics of Home and Belonging<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Being so connected to this album, I was willing to take on a small mountain of credit card debt to see him perform this live until he announced that DTMF<\/em> would not be coming to a continental American audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with I-D Magazine, he discusses this decision saying, \u201cThere were many reasons why I didn\u2019t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate\u2014I\u2019ve performed there many times. All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I\u2019ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US, but specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US\u2026 People from the US could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of\u2014like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it\u2019s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The influence of ICE on the lives of Latinos in America has been nothing short of overwhelming, with many undocumented citizens scared to attend churches and grocery stores, let alone a concert of this magnitude. With recent news like what\u2019s been happening in Chicago, with \u201cMilitary-Style Ice Raids\u201d leaving children who are citizens in handcuffs, <\/a>it\u2019s no wonder that Bad Bunny would care enough about his fans to even potentially risk their safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Livestreaming: Puerto Rico Meets World<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

However, Bad Bunny found an amazing loophole through Amazon Prime. Amazon Music livestreamed the last concert of his Puerto Rican Residency, \u201cNo Me Quiero Ir de Aqu\u00ed.\u201d letting all of his American Latino fans enjoy his concert from the safety of their own living rooms. It allowed him to celebrate his home island on an international scale, with the sets being modeled after places in Puerto Rico. Several artists joined him on stage, such as \u00d1engo Flow, Jowell y Randy, Dei V, RaiNao, Arc\u00e1ngel, and De La Ghetto. Most notably of all these features, he brought out Latino Icon (confirmed: my mom was starstruck),<\/em> Marc Anthony, for a longtime anthem of Puerto Rico, \u201cPreciosa.\u201d This song dates back to 1937 and was originally written by Rafael Hern\u00e1ndez Mar\u00edn, as the precursor to this modern album and a true love letter to Puerto Rico. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Accessibility Meets Advocacy: Giving Back to the Island<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

According to Amazon Music, this show was the most-watched performance from a single artist to date for the platform. This was nearly a four-hour show and such a special treat for fans who were unable to see his concert in person. In a world where artists are charging a ridiculous amount of money to see them, for example, Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras tour that cost an average of $1,550 per seat according to Gametime, Bad Bunny\u2019s concert tickets costing the $8.99 Amazon Membership is an incredible deal. This show is a dedication from him to his fans who were like him once, working in grocery stores to make ends meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The livestream also served as a start to a multi-year partnership with Amazon, which will work with his Good Bunny foundation<\/a> to help Puerto Rico develop in sectors including: education, technology, agriculture, and economic development. Roc\u00edo Guerrero, Director of Music, Latin-Iberia for Amazon Music, made a statement on this work with the foundation: \u201cBenito embodies the spirit of Puerto Rico, and together we\u2019re creating a celebration that transforms his passion for the island into real impact for its people.\u201d Several artists come out of poor\/inner city communities, but it\u2019s inspiring seeing one actually take their success to give back to that community on this large of a scale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From San Juan to the Super Bowl<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Offense: <\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In September 2025, the NFL officially announced Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Performer, sparking both outrage and joy. On the side of those outraged, United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, while speaking to Benny Johnson on \u201cThe Benny Show\u201d discussed her responsibility to \u201cmake sure everybody who goes to the Super Bowl has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave safely. That’s what America\u2019s about. We’ll be all over that place.\u201d Noem then added that those attending the Super Bowl should be law-abiding Americans \u201cwho love this country\u201d (Fox News<\/a>). In general, the responses on social media from those who oppose Bunny\u2019s performance include calling him un-American (for those still with me: Puerto Rico is an American territory), and criticizing the decision to speak Spanish during the Halftime Show. On the topic of Spanish in the United States, there was no official language before March 1st 2025, much less a mandatory language for a Super Bowl Halftime Show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bad Bunny\u2019s music has consistently explored this tension between being Puerto Rican in relation to the U.S. (see: Neuvayol\u2019s Music Video<\/a>). The resistance to a show like this proves how necessary a performance like this could be to finding unity. There is no effort being made by Bad Bunny to reject the American identity, only one to make sure the Latinos (and especially the Puerto Ricans!) are a part of that identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense: <\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

For some joy, I will spare you from my Great American Novel on what this means to my family and me. Instead, I will use words from Bad Bunny himself. On Saturday Night Live,<\/em> during his opening monologue, he said, \u201cI’m very happy, and I think everyone is happy about it\u2014even Fox News. People all around the world who love my music.\u201d This part was in Spanish, so here\u2019s a translation: <\/em>\u201cEspecially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors. It\u2019s more than a win for myself, it\u2019s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.\u201d Then, in English, he said,<\/em> \u201cIf you didn\u2019t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Screenshot from Bad Bunny’s Monologue | Saturday Night Live<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is a moment where we see such strength of character, as his joke is actually a declaration. He\u2019s, once and for all, clarifying that there will be Spanish on the biggest stage in America. Not only is he proud to be doing that, but he will be doing this for all the Latinos who came before him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the photos that we wish we had taken to the people we wish we could dance with one more time, Bad Bunny has turned nostalgia into resistance. Resistance from a country that often \u201cothers\u201d Latinos, as his voice carries his island with him. When he steps onto that Super Bowl stage, I hope that he performs loud and proud for every Latino who has been told to quiet down before him. For the millions like me, who see themselves in him and his music, it\u2019s time to celebrate a touchdown for all of us. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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