Bad Bunny's 'Debí tirar más fotos' Transforms Reggaeton's Perception

Bad Bunny's sixth studio album 'Debí tirar más fotos', released in January 2025, has significantly altered the perception of reggaeton, a genre long marginalized and dismissed outside Latin America. The album showcases the depth and originality of reggaeton by reworking its connections to Caribbean music traditions like salsa, dancehall, bachata, and merengue. It achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success, with six of its songs becoming the most streamed globally on Spotify and an 8.8/10 rating from Pitchfork. The album is a concept album, a rare format in reggaeton, weaving together Puerto Rico's musical history, anti-colonial themes, gentrification, and the diaspora experience. Bad Bunny collaborated with historian Jorell Meléndez-Badillo and filmmaker Jacobo Morales, whose film 'Lo que le pasó a Santiago' is the only Puerto Rican film nominated for an Oscar. The album boosted the careers of emerging Puerto Rican artists like RaiNao, Chuwi, and Pleneros de la Cresta. Following its release, Bad Bunny performed 30 concerts in San Juan, generating hundreds of millions in revenue, and performed at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. The album has also elevated reggaeton's status, leading to greater recognition for experimental acts like weed420 and Los Thuthanaka.