The cover art of Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (DTMF) features a pair of white Monobloc chairs amid a forest of banana plants. Before the music begins, Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio captures the attention of Latin Americans in the diaspora, his beloved island, and immigrant communities worldwide. His audience can listen to this record and envision their elders sitting in those chairs, exchanging “chisme” and retellings of childhood stories after dark. In DTMF, Ocasio’s moments of celebration and grief are equally palpable — a true testament to the Boricua experience.
DTMF was released on January 5, 2025, just two weeks before Donald Trump was sworn into the U.S. Presidential office and 157 years, almost to the date, after the founding of the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico. Relatedly, the record grapples with centuries of sociopolitical tension — Spanish colonization, the U.S. acquisition of PR as a territory, and the resilience of Puerto Rican lineage, art, and culture.
In the ever-changing landscape of contemporary reggaeton, dembow, and musica urbana, Ocasio uses DTMF to return to his roots. First track “NUEVAYoL,” a love letter to Puerto Rican life in New York City, samples 1975 salsa anthem “Un Verano en Nueva York” by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. “Si te quieres divertir / Con encanto y con primor / Solo tienes que vivir / Un verano en Nueva York,” they sing, over bouncy trumpet, saxophone, and a percussion section hand-tailored for dancing. Ocasio lets the salsa music breathe, chiming in with playful rapped verses and ad-libs.
After visiting “El Bronx” and Washington Heights, the record travels back to Puerto Rico. Ocasio avoids name-dropping in his features, instead inviting collaborations with his favorite smaller Puerto Rican acts: Chuwi, Omar Courtz, Los Pleneros de la Cresta, Dei V, and RaiNao. In “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR,” Ocasio invites a girl he meets in Miami to experience Puerto Rico the authentic way. “Voy a llevarte pa PR, mami / Pa que vea cómo es que se perrea,” he sings, layered over a snappy electronic sound. It’s sexy and exciting, but at its core, Ocasio rejects the way tourists carelessly experience his home.
Even if not overtly political, Ocasio’s national identity remains paramount in DTMF. In “TURiSTA,” a stripped-down breakup song, he compares his lost love to a tourist. He sings, “En mi vida fuiste turista / Tú solo viste lo mejor de mí y no lo que yo sufría” over delicate guitar strumming. This process of rejecting a romantic partner for their vulnerability is similar to unconscious tourism — lounging on the beach and photographing sunsets while neglecting history and ignoring truth.
The titular second-to-last track “DtMF” unlocks the purpose of Ocasio’s art: doing a service to those who came before him. Dedicated to his late grandmother, “DtMF” memorializes the elders who once sat in the white Monobloc chairs. This heartfelt conclusion taps into the Afro-Rican plena sound, sharing colorful oral histories with the help of panderetas and maracas. In the chorus, Ocasio admits, “Debí tirar más fotos de cuando te tuve / Debí darte más besos y abrazos las veces que pude” — a sentiment commonly shared by those who have lost relatives.
DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS showcases Ocasio at his most vulnerable, his most creative, and above all, his most proud. He expects us to listen, to dance, to sing, to cry, and to think. This record is addicting and absolutely loveable — a comforting embrace from Vega Baja to the world. KATE RATNER
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