Amaya Morales
Managing Editor
2020 was definitely a year filled with surprises, especially with three albums delivered by Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny.
Bad Bunny dropped his latest work, “El Último Tour Del Mundo,” at midnight on Thanksgiving.
Fans suspected that Bad Bunny would release the album sometime before Christmas with the belief that it would be his last. However, much to the fans’ surprise, there is a possibility he will release more music in the near future.
Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasiò – and known lovingly as “Benito” by fans – the rapper is admired around the world for his unique fashion sense and his lack of need to fit the mold.
Originating from the neighborhood of Almirante Sur in Vega Baja, P.R., Bad Bunny came from humble beginnings. Before rising to fame, Ocasiò went to school and worked as a supermarket bagger to pay for books and other fees.
It wasn’t until 2016 that he started to upload music to SoundCloud under the name ‘San Benito.’ That same year, Bad Bunny gained traction and signed with DJ Luian and appeared on four singles before he released his debut album, X100PRE. Occasionally, he releases music on SoundCloud such as “6 Rings,” a song honoring the late NBA great Kobe Bryant.
Unlike Bad Bunny’s previous albums, “El Último Tour Del Mundo” is more alt-driven and features electric and rock sounds that can be heard in “Sorry Papí” featuring Los Angeles-native ABRA and in “Maldita Pobreza.”
Of course, there are always a few songs that pay tribute to the musíca urbana genre such as “Dakiti” with Puerto Rican rapper Jhay Cortez and “Hoy Cobré,” but this album adds to the wildcard that defines Bad Bunny.
There is also the ballad-like “Trellas,” in which Ocasio sings about a lover that is no longer in his life and how incomparable they are to other people he dates.
Since this album was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lyrics tend to reflect how Ocasiò felt during quarantine. However, he did joke in an interview with Billboard that he made this album in response to the general complaint that he received from the Latinx community of being unable to party during the pandemic.
Breaking Barriers Within the Latinx Community
Many rappers and singers in the Latinx community, especially in Puerto Rico, tend to follow the same path to stardom. They write songs to make it to the top of the charts and compete with one another to become the leading artist.
Artists like Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin have produced songs that have made the top charts, but were never in the Spanish language.
However, Bad Bunny is the first artist in the Latinx community to have produced an album entirely in Spanish that made the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200.
For Bad Bunny, though, producing music and writing songs is not solely about making No. 1 hits. It’s about expressing who he is as a person and using his platform to speak on issues that are important to him.
Like the title of his second studio album “YHLQMDLG”, Bad Bunny does whatever he wants and continues to challenge stereotypes within the Latinx community.
His essence, his brand and his motto focus on breaking barriers that younger generations face and inspiring others to create and explore their own paths. In his campaign with Cheetos, Bunny plans on giving back to the Latinx community through the “Dejá Tu Huella” (Leave Your Mark) program.
He also has used his platform to speak on mental-health issues and also has dedicated music that shows appreciation for his roots and where he comes from.
Bad Bunny has also used his platform to speak on political issues. In 2019,, Bad Bunny and a few other well-known Puerto Ricans such as rapper Residente, marched with thousands in San Juan to demand that Gov. Ricardo Rosselló step down from his position.
Overall, Bad Bunny explores and incorporates new styles into his music and freely expresses who he is as both an artist and a person. In “El Último Tour Del Mundo,” Bad Bunny breaks new ground and finds passion using guitar riffs to show us what he’s feeling. If anything, it’s more than we asked of him as an artist but he never ceases to amaze his fans.
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