Bad Bunny Lo que le Paso a Hawaii

Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny recently released his latest record, Debí tirar más fotos, in January 2025. Although he is a rap artist, Bad Bunny incorporates traditional Puerto Rican styles and linguistics to preserve and strengthen his roots. He used samples from traditional songs, incorporating a mix of a rap and Latin beat to rap over. He rapped and sang in Spanish in each track, however in addition he incorporated lots of jargon and slang specific to Puerto Rico that many other Spanish speakers might not be able to catch. This lead cultural and stylistic role in Bad Bunny’s music conveys the artist’s message of conserving Puerto Rico’s culture as it is becoming gentrified by the U.S.

In one of the tracks in DtMF, Lo que le Pasó a Hawaii, Bad Bunny expresses his fear of Puerto Rico being Americanized the way Hawaii was. In the chorus, he laments, “Quieren quitarme el río, y también la playa, quieren al barrio mío, y que abuelita se vaya. No, no suelte' la bandera, ni olvide' el lelolai, que no quiero que hagan contigo lo que le pasó a Hawái” This translates to “They want to take the river away from me, and also the beach, they want my neighborhood, and for grandma to go. No, don’t let go of the flag nor forget the le-lo-lai, ‘cause I don’t want them to do to you what they did to Hawaii.” Here, he expresses how he feels that his true home is being taken away from him, as the consequences of privatization of land and resources, overtourism, and gentrification play out in his homeland. Nevertheless, as he sings for Puerto Ricans not to let go of the nation’s flag, nor the le-lo-lai (a traditional Christmas song), he insists that Puerto Rico must preserve its culture and heritage as much as it can.

Bad Bunny compares this scenario with Hawai’i, a previously independent monarchy that was overthrown and eventually conquered by the U.S. in 1960. Since Hawai’i officially became a U.S. state, it has lost much of its culture due to American political and cultural influence. Similarly, Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 following the Spanish-American War, when Spain surrendered the island to the U.S. Now in the hands of the U.S., Puerto Rico has been dealing with the conflict of maintaining its traditions, language, and national identity for years.

Overall, Bad Bunny’s Debí tirar más fotos has a strong Puerto Rican cultural presence that reflect Bad Bunny’s pride and love for his heritage. The track Lo que le Pasó a Hawaii holds a powerful and moving message about the detrimental consequences of colonization. It stresses the importance of culture, as well as how its protection is paramount to a nation’s identity. Audiences have responded to these lyrics eagerly, having been moved and intrigued by this topic. Listening to the song for the first time, I was immediately touched by Bad Bunny’s passion, and I urge any other Bad Bunny fans or other music listeners to not just hear, but listen to the powerful message embedded in this beautiful song.