Album Review: Bad Bunny - "Debí Tirar Más Fotos"

On his sixth album, Bad Bunny focuses on his native island of Puerto Rico and not only channels his own intertwining relationship with his home but also the island's roots, cultural importance, and promotion of independence. It's his most profound, personal, and creatively invigorating album yet.

Rimas Entertainment - 2025

Benito Ocasio, aka Bad Bunny, is a tour de force. The Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and entertainer is undoubtedly having a moment, having amassed incredible success that very few artists have achieved: number one albums, massive world tours, being the most streamed artist for multiple years. There's good reason for all of his achievements: Bad Bunny is just that infectious, charming, entertaining, and good! And not only that, but his music has become quite impactful, artful, and memorable to critics and fans alike, regardless of background. He's arguably the biggest artist of our current times (aside from a select few) and is certainly the biggest in Spanish-speaking Latin music. With each new release, his albums have become larger and grander as he continues to morph and change his sound by adding new production and stylistic choices such as alternative rock on El Último Tour Del Mundo or the moodier and cinematic Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.

Now onto his sixth solo studio album, Ocasio continues to morph and change by making his most personal and creatively invigorating record yet. Titled Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which translates to "I Should Have Taken More Photos," Bad Bunny focuses on his native island of Puerto Rico and not only channels his own intertwining relationship with his home but also the island's roots, cultural importance, and promotion of independence. Across seventeen tracks and over an hour in length, the record acts as a celebratory homage to Puerto Rico in celebratory fashion, also expressing the island's often tumultuous relationship with its fellow United States and its ongoing colonization. This is heavy subject matter to lay out in an album review and I'm not exactly an expert in the matter but I can attest that Bad Bunny has a respectable, smart, and immense grasp on the territory's culture at large and its importance to the United States and world as a whole. His lyrics are boldly headlined in front of these instrumentals in triumphant fashion. The music itself ranges from Ocasio's well rounded reggaetón to house music, electro pop, and more notably traditional Puerto Rican music such as salsa, jíbaro, and plena. There are also many well seasoned and studio savvied Puerto Rican musicians all across the record, making this an even more important record that's reflective for the Puerto Rican community at large.

The album opens with bombast and explosiveness on "Nuevayol", which as what we were all hoping for as an album opener. The song immediately starts with classic Puerto Rican salsa horns, percussion, and chants that sound straight out of the island they came from and once the shimmer and color of 808's, trap beats, and chants kick in, you know you're in for an elevated Bad Bunny who is just in his own element. He sounds like he's having an absolute blast and it shows with his rapping, the bursting bass, and elevating high pitched vocals towards its end. Lyrically, he pays homage to Puerto Rica's reach in salsa music to New York from the likes of legendary musicians El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and Andy Montañez. It's infectious, charming, and exhilarating, much like the rest of the album. As much as the album like to look back towards more traditional music, Bad Bunny pushes the sound further into the future with cool, neon synthesizers on tracks like "Voy a Llevarte Pa' PR" or the massive "Baile Inolvidable," which is arguably the album's best track, which lyrically has Ocasio at his most lovesick. With its immersive vocals, horns, and Puerto Rican salsa breakdown along with its repeated, chanting harmonies, it truly launches Bad Bunny into the stratosphere. It sounds like he's performing as the house band leader in a futuristic salsa club in the near future. "Perfumito Nuevo" takes the futuristic sound even further with icy and brash synths over a reggaetón beat along with RaiNao's pretty, additional vocals alongside Ocasio's.

"Weltita" is infectiously peppy with its Tropicália sound and "El Clúb" gleefully ventures into quirky, bass-heavy clubby house music that's begging for a dance to be made on TikTok. "Bokete" is very somber with its moody instrumental and is very pretty with its presentation. About falling in and out of love once again, it also has one of my favorite lines: "I've fallen in love 515 times, and with you, it's 516." "Turista" is another ballad that notably has some standout, gorgeously isolated ukulele backing Ocasio's croon. "Café con Ron" notably features traditional Puerto Rican vocals and sounds from Los Pleneros de la Cresta. "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" is a highlight that lyrically discusses the gentrification and smothering impact the U.S. has had on Puerto Rico with Ocasio warning that it may become the next Hawaii ("No, don't let go of the flag nor forget the lelolai / 'Cause I don't want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii"). It's chilling, both lyrically and sonically as it is effective in its messaging. "Eoo" is an in your face, blaring bop that's fiery and electric as it is sexy. Its sweaty swagger is the perfect soundtrack for the club.

The album's title track, "DTMF" is one of the album's most significant and emotionally resonating tracks. About nostalgia, the passage of time, and wishing to cherish his life more within the moment itself, it's a track that's bittersweet in longing as well as romantic in its fondness and reflectiveness. It's easy to think and romanticize about living through each day to its full and upmost potential rather than actually committing by doing so. Bad Bunny illustrates this ongoing and relatable problem perfectly on this title track and as a whole, his messaging personally reflects across the entire album. DTMF is Bad Bunny's best, most profound, and personal album yet. His Puerto Rican heart is poured into each track and it's by far his biggest musical statement in his career. It should be widely celebrated with themes that should be further looked into with not just joy, but anger and sadness as well. Once those chanting vocals kick in the title track's chorus, the best way to enjoy listening is by not taking anything for granted and by living in the moment. Bad Bunny is here to stand for his native island and he's not going anywhere.

My Rating: 8 / 10

Favorite Songs: "Baile Inolvidable", "DTMF", "Nuevayol", "Perfumito Nuevo", "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii", "Weltita", "Turista"