Bad Bunny’s new album issues bold political statement on Puerto Rico: ‘I don’t want it to be Hawaii’

The album addresses important socio-political challenges that Puerto Ricans deal with on a regular basis while weaving together an array of the island’s musical genres, including reggaeton, dembow, plena, and salsa.

Puerto Rico and controversy during election campaign

The album comes after Puerto Rico hit headlines during the 2024 presidential election campaign of Donald Trump. In his rally in New York, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe denounced Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” drawing huge criticism from Boricuas.

In the presidential race, Bad Bunny supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. In an interview with The New York Times, he spoke about his album, saying: “It wasn’t funny” and stressed that it is devoted to protecting Puerto Rico’s culture and identity.

Also Read: Puerto Rican Archbishop fumes over Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist remarks, seeks apology from Trump: ‘Humour has it limits’

Inspiration behind Bad Bunny’s album

Interestingly, Bold Bunny has never avoided discussing politics and DBTMF is his most candid album to date and offers a sobering analysis of Puerto Rico’s complicated relationship with the US. His concerns about Puerto Rico becoming a state like Hawaii, a contentious topic that has generated discussion among Puerto Ricans for generations, are expressed in one track.

“They want to take away the river and also the beach, they want my neighborhood and grandma to leave. Don’t let go of the flag… I don’t want them to do with you what happened to Hawaii,” he sings, highlighting fears among Puerto Ricans.

The lyrics of his song also emphasises the fights against colonial legacy and cultural erosion.

Bad Bunny discussed the album’s motivation and his wish to rediscover Puerto Rico’s soul during an interview with TIME. He expressed disappointment at the surge of visitors who enjoy the island’s natural beauty without addressing its structural problems.

“Tourists come here to enjoy the beautiful places, and then they leave and they don’t have to deal with the problems that Puerto Ricans have to deal with day-to-day,” the singer said.

However, in contrast to Bad Bunny’s wish, the majority of Puerto Ricans voted in favor of statehood in a nonbinding referendum.

The United States annexed both Puerto Rico and Hawaii in 1898. After becoming a state in 1959, Hawaii witnessed industrialization and rapid growth in tourism but at the cost of its cultural autonomy.