Photo by Claudio Reyes/AFP/Getty Images
Throughout Puerto Rico’s musical history, different generations have amplified their voices to the world through genres like salsa, merengue, and reggaeton. It’s the latter genre that’s now at the forefront of Puerto Rican music, and Bad Bunny’s debut album, X 100PRE, cemented the rapper as one of the preeminent voices of the newest generation. Through Bunny’s lyrics, we get a glimpse at the nuances of the boricua millennial lifestyle from a talented artist who is ready to depict Puerto Rico as he experienced it growing up
Bad Bunny’s nods to Puerto Rico range from obvious to subtle. On the Diplo assisted cut “200 MPH,” for example, Bunny mentions Santería, the blend of Catholic religion and Yoruba traditions practiced in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. There’s references to Santería scattered throughout his songs, but his reference on “200 MPH” is notable. Nowadays, wearing an all-white outfit could reference a range of beliefs, ideas, and fashion statements, but Bad Bunny brings it back to Puerto Rican tradition:
Ando de blanco entero flow santero
I’m wearing all white, santero flow
The santeros, meaning the practitioners of santería, were recognizable by their all-white outfits, something children growing up in Puerto Rico would catch glimpses of. Although we know Bad Bunny likes to wear all white for the look, he pays homage to his roots by comparing his style with something close to home.
In “Como Antes,” he paints a portrait of a younger Bad Bunny. Renting movies at Blockbuster, watching TV, and playing Gameboy may sound like many millennial childhoods, but Benito also includes distinctly Puerto Rican memories. For example, he recalls watching The Simpsons in Spanish at 4:00pm on Univisión and then watching La Comay on channel 4.
Los Simpsons a las cuatro y pal’ cuatro a las seis
The Simpsons at four and the four at six
At 6:00pm on the dot, television sets across the island would tune to channel 4, locally known as WAPA, to watch Súper Xclusivo. The celebrity gossip show ran for more than 10 years and was one of the most popular shows in Puerto Rico.
While many artists tend to include pop culture references about art, fashion, and movies in their music, Bad Bunny also drops a movie reference that has underlying significance to Puerto Ricans. In the song “¿Quién Tu Eres?” he sings:
Voy a las millas como Toretto
I’m going fast like Toretto
This is a reference to Vin Diesel’s character in the Fast and the Furious franchise, Dominic Toretto. This particular mention is special because 2011’s Fast Five was partially filmed in Puerto Rico. Vin Diesel got to know the island during filming and showed the locals some love, even speaking in Spanish to the boricuas. During his visit to Naranjito, a small town on the island, he said, “Cuando termine, todo el mundo conocerá a Naranjito” (“When I’m done, everyone will know Naranjito”). Diesel’s impact on the island, as well as the movie itself, left a clear impression on young Puerto Ricans like Bad Bunny.
Beyond film and television. Bad Bunny also takes the time to exposes serious problems in Puerto Rico. He addresses socio-political issues that most reggaeton artists won’t touch. On “Ser Bichote” he sings about the bichote—boricua word for kingpin—an anti-heroic figure amongst kids growing up in poorer areas like barrios and caseríos (the hood and the projects). In true bichote fashion, he throws a jab at the people who criticize him, telling them to deal with their own problems. However, in the following line, he reveals he’s talking to the Fiscal Control Board, which is currently overseeing the budget crisis in Puerto Rico that resulted in the closure of 283 schools. He points out that if low-income kids aren’t going to school, but drug points are thriving, the problems lie deeper than the bichotes:
To' los que me critican, que se mueran juntos
Chorro ‘e hijo 'e putas, resuelvan sus asuntos
Se cierran escuelas mientras se abren puntos
Everyone that criticizes me, go die together
Bunch of motherfuckers, deal with your problems
Schools are getting closed and drug points are opening
One of the most specific references on the album lies in the title of a song, “RLNDT.” Although Bad Bunny doesn’t directly mention him on the song, RLNDT stands for Rolandito, the local nickname given to Rolando Salas Jusino, a boy that went missing in Puerto Rico in 1999.
The case of Rolandito was one that many millennial boricua kids grew up hearing about. Even though many presumed Rolandito to be dead, his body was never found and hope remained. Even after 10 years, posters about Rolandito’s disappearance are still up. Bad Bunny’s metaphorical mention of Rolandito lies in the lyrics where he voices his concern of feeling lost, disoriented, and not knowing what happened to him.
Hola, ¿quién soy? No sé, se me olvidó
Hi, who am I? I don’t know, I’ve forgotten
Y no se si me raptaron o estoy perdido
And I don’t know if I’ve been kidnapped or I’m lost
As an ode to the genre that forged the path for Latin trap, Bad Bunny made “Cuando Perriabas” to throw it back to the days of reggaeton and perreo. In the ‘90s and early 2000s, young Puerto Ricans around the island would gather around in garage parties or parties de marquesina with reggaeton blaring, people leaning against walls, and minimal lighting.
To truly pay homage, he includes samples and lyrics from reggaeton icons like Plan B and Daddy Yankee, drawing from the days when D.Y. collaborated on Los 12 Discípulos and Plan B played in parties de marquesina. The slowed down version of Plan B’s “Bellaqueo” as well as the reference to Daddy Yankee’s “Donde Hubo Fuego” truly throw it back to what Benito calls “perreo sucio.”
Bella-bellaqueo tu eres otra a ti no te pongo el dedo
Bella-bellaqueo you’re something else I can’t put my finger on you
Y bum pa’ atrás, bum bum, pa’ ‘lante
Este party es solo para la gente que aguante
And boom to the back, boom boom to the front
This party is only for the ones that can handle it
With these references, Bad Bunny amplifies the island’s cultural features as well as its socio-political and economic issues. X 100PRE is a look at Puerto Rico through the eyes of a young millennial boricua who grew up on an island of fascinating and rich complexities. In the hopes of showing a more authentic Benito, he ends up putting a raw and real Puerto Rico on display, too.
