Confirmation and more information in this Rolling Stone article.

Bad Bunny and fellow Puerto Rican singer-songwriter RaiNao will appear in the video game as El Martillo and La Gata, hosts of Cocoteo FM, which focuses on modern Latin music.

As one of the first posts of this re-opened subreddit, I thought I'd dig up my first impressions and overall review of 2024's DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. It's been nearly 2 years since the album came out, but re-reading my initial thoughts was fun and I thought I'd put it out there again for everyone to see.

Note: ABSOLUTELY NO AI was used to write this review. I've been writing for fun since I was about 12 years old (in my mid 30s now), and for this review I intentionally wrote it in the tone and cadence of a music journalist. Enjoy!

Okay. So. I’ve had somewhere around a day and a half since my first listen to start forming opinions and critiques about this album. First off, let me say: I thought this record would be cool but not measure up to UVST; maybe I was slightly disappointed by NSLQVAPM and that influenced my expectations. Aaaaaanyway, DTMF has edged out UVST as my favorite Bad Bunny album, hands down. Let me explain why.

Track 1 – NUEVAYoL: Wow, what a start! We knew this album would lean more heavily into traditional and old school Puerto Rican sounds (thanks to the teaser that was “PIToRRO DE COCO”), but to start off the record with a sample from the timeless classic “Un verano en Nueva York,” which then evolves into a dembow that evokes memories of “Tití Me Preguntó,” just wow. The little interlude with Tito Trinidad’s voice is a nice touch that did not go unnoticed. In hindsight, this is a fantastic choice for the first track. It really sets the tone and prepares you for what’s to come. It even switches up the beat and instrumentation towards the end, a trend that repeats in other songs in this album.

Track 2 – VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR: Was there ever any doubt this album would have some hard hitting reggaetón? Turn up the sub for this one. I knew Tainy produced it from his signature synth that shows up in the first few seconds. It’s not quite the earworm that other songs in this record are, but it’ll satisfy all the club-goers and reggaetoner@s.

Track 3 – BAILE INoLVIDABLE: Oh, boy; lots to say here. This track, the longest one on the record, pulls an incredible switcheroo, very reminiscent of the one from UVST’s “Después de la playa.” The first 40 seconds or so feature a trance-inducing backing synth coupled with Benito’s smooth vocals. You expect a beat drop but you don’t know exactly where it’s going, only to get downright bamboozled by friggin’ trumpets at the 47 second mark. At this point, you know exactly where this song is going. “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” is indeed the first salsa track we hear on this album (Yes, the first one; there’s another one but we’ll get to that). The chorus, sung by uncredited backup singers, is hella catchy. Benito unexpectedly nails the vocal performance, hitting all the right beats you expect from a salsa singer, even the little bit of improv we hear after the 4 minute mark. I also have to mention the little interlude with an old sounding clip of Jacobo Morales right before the beat drops, encouraging the listener to love as much and as often as they can. This track also establishes a pattern on this album of allowing space for instrumental solos. There’s a lovely piano/keyboard solo at 4:06, which culminates around 4:28 when all the other instruments quell.

Track 4 – PERFuMITO NUEVO: Another awesome synth intro? Must be Tainy. During the intro we are suddenly hit with RaiNao’s dreamy voice, which totally makes this song. I’m not kidding. Her “Díme ya” during the chorus is perfect. The outro has these cowbell and triangle (I think?) sounds over Tainy’s synth that end this reggaetón track with an unexpectedly Latin/salsa twist.

Track 5 – WELTiTA: This song is my personal introduction to Chuwi, and dang, I’m impressed. The beat blends elements of different Latin music genres with some fun indie pop; I think I even hear some bossa nova in there. It’s just plain fun, but it’s also laid back and chill. It almost feels like this track was supposed to be on UVST. Lorén Aldarondo, one of Chuwi’s vocalists, brings a sweet and vibrant vibe that deserves some attention. And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the well-appreciated reference to “La flaca” by Jarabe de Palo at 1:18 (R.I.P. Pau Donés, who by the way is posthumously credited as a producer).

Track 6 – VeLDÁ: This track, with prominent features by Omar Courtz and Dei V, gives off new school reggaetón vibes. It’s admittedly my least favorite off the record, but I know it’ll totally satisfy tons of reggaetoner@s. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but the interpolation of “You Are My Sunshine” (around 1:15 for example) is hilarious and somehow works. Also, Wisin coming out of absolutely freaking nowhere for the outro is gold. A fun easter egg is that throughout the intro and some other parts of the track, a sample of “No Voy a Esperar por Ti” by Plan B can be heard.

Track 7 – EL CLúB: Oh hey, it’s one of the two tracks released as singles before the album. “EL CLúB” starts off slow and melancholic and gets significantly more up-tempo once the beat drops around the 1 minute mark, only to quell after the 2 minute mark. It’s a weepy ballad about missing your ex, with a brief electronic dance track in the middle, but it somehow works. Also notable is the cha-cha-cha beat during the outro executed with the saddest güiro you’ll ever hear.

Track 8 – KETU TeCRÉ: Yet another dreamy, futuristic synth intro from Tainy starts this track on the right foot. Probably my favorite reggaetón track off the record, “KETU TeCRÉ” is at times catchy and energetic, with beat-less breaks of melancholy and lyrics of resentment for a lost lover who seems to have become bratty or confrontational. The outro features an audio clip of Benito explaining that it hurts him to show his feelings and emotions to someone who “doesn’t deserve them.” This message puts a finishing touch that serves to add context to the lyrical content.

Track 9 – BOKeTE: The most interesting thing about this song is that for a mere 30-ish seconds it turns into perhaps the most depressing bachata I’ve ever heard. What starts off as as gloomy ballad about heartbreak and lost love (complete with an intro in which Benito sings in falsetto, of all things), develops this bachata beat around the 2 minute mark only to turn back into a beat-less, synth-backed, woefully somber ballad by 2:30. That low end on the synth definitely adds to the feeling of despair and hopelessness.

Track 10 – KLOuFRENS: Yay more Tainy synth! Not much to say about this one other than it’s classic expected Bad Bunny reggaetón. Fun hooks and sad yet somewhat funny lyrics about an ex who keeps him on her “Close Friends” list on Instagram to keep him jealous of her life without him. The second half of the song is more chill, with a very slow and subtle bachata backing beat that doesn’t feel forced.

Track 11 – TURiSTA: I listened to this song with my mom in the car, and she seemed genuinely impressed with the fact that Bad Bunny of all people would put out a song like this. While Benito may not have the voice of an angel, he sounds genuinely emotional in this heartfelt track. The slow bachata beat from “KLOuFRENS” is back, and this time it feels even more blended into the background, letting Benito’s emotional performance shine through. Also notable is the use of a cuatro guitar, which lends a kind of romantic touch. Despite everything I’ve said so far, it’s actually the lyrics which are the highlight of this song. I am quite sure that they are intentionally written to have a double meaning: While the direct interpretation is of Benito singing to a past lover, certain parts of the song can also be interpreted as the island of Puerto Rico itself singing to a tourist. If you don’t believe me, relisten to the first few lines: “Tú sólo viste lo mejor de mí y no lo que yo sufría / Te fuiste sin saber el porqué, el porqué de mis heridas / Y no te tocaba a ti curarlas, viniste a pasarla bien / Y la pasamos bien.” This is an absolutely genius bit of songwriting, and bumps this song up several spots in my ranking for that reason alone. Truly impressive lyrical work here.

Track 12 – CAFé CON RON: Plena. Friggin’ plena. This track doesn’t even try to tease you with what genre it is like some other songs in this record; it’s definitely plena right from the start. Los Pleneros de la Cresta do a terrific job here. The chorus is fun and a little Christmas-y (as most plena sounds to us Puerto Ricans) and the instrumentation is fantastic. At the song’s close, a percussion solo (is it technically a solo if it’s multiple percussion instruments?) sends us off spectacularly. Benito deserves massive recognition here for bringing one of PR’s most historic and iconic music genres into the mainstream. This is unironically a banger and I will fight you if you disagree.

Track 13 – PIToRRO DE COCO: Oh hey, it’s the other single we heard before the album. This one, in my opinion, does a better job at preparing us for the meat and potatoes (or should I say, the arroz con gandules and pernil) of what we were going to get with this album. A blend of modern sounds with música jíbara, “PIToRRO DE COCO” stands out for its loud, emotional chorus that would be amazing to sing drunk at a karaoke bar (or so I hear). I must also commend the cuatro solo which starts around 2:51. Love love love it.

Track 14 – LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii: This is low-key my favorite track off this album, despite a perceived “flaw” that I’ll get into in a bit. The lyrics echo the sentiment behind the short film starring Jacobo Morales that Benito put out a few days ago to promote the album (If you haven’t seen it, go watch it NOW). LQLPAH is a melancholic love song to PR, filled with fear and anxiety about the island losing its heritage and cultural identity as a result of the invasion of “gringos” in towns like Rincón and Dorado, which is pushing out locals. It tugged on my heart strings and hit pretty close to home, as someone who’s part of the diaspora. Musically notable are the cuatro solo at 1:50 and the bomba beat that kicks in around 2:48. My favorite part is undoubtedly the subtle interpolation of “La Borinqueña” around 3:17. Chills, man. Chills. Now, the “flaw” that I alluded to earlier… Honestly some people might not agree with me on this, and that’s okay. But… I feel like in some parts of the song, like right before the chorus and at around 3:09 right after the intense buildup of “No sueltes la bandera / No olvides el lelolai / Que no quiero que hagan contigoooo-”, it way-too-abruptly cuts to silence. Some might say it’s a way to subvert expectations or create suspense, but honestly it just takes me out. I so, so badly want that verse to have closure instead of being prematurely cut off. But hey, that’s just my opinion. And it’s still my favorite track off the record so far, so there’s that.

Track 15 – EoO: This track’s vibe is pure old school reggaetón, so if that’s not your thing, feel free to skip it. But if it is, then strap in. The gnarly synth intro sets the tone, and at the 18 second mark we are hit with a sample from “Perreo Baby” by Héctor & Tito, which is later interpolated at 1:29. Shortly after the 1 minute mark we get a callback reference to X 100pre’s “Solo de mí,” and after that, Tainy busts out some very old school sounding synths. In the outro, Benito explains that his generation grew up listening to this kind of reggaetón. The genre is and always will be a part of him and generations of PR’s youth.

Track 16 – DtMF: The title track off of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is an absolute bop. It’s not a total departure from the melancholic vibes that dominate the record, but its lyrics are more nostalgic and heartfelt. The chorus is probably the catchiest in the whole album. My favorite part is the backing vocals that are likely provided by Benito’s friends. They take over the song’s outro in a parranda-style ensemble, and it sounds like they’re having a blast.

Track 17 – LA MuDANZA: ¡Qué salsón! Benito closes out this album with an unapologetic salsa-rap banger. I love the way he starts us off with an instrument-less spoken word poetry-style narration of his parents’ life stories which culminate in his birth; it’s a heartfelt dedication that lets you know the subject matter of this track is going to be no joke. In every one of his latest albums, Benito has had at least one track, bathed in national pride, that is wholly dedicated to the island he was born in and its people. For DTMF, this is that track. What it lacks in a chorus it more than makes up for with hard hitting lyrics that gave me goosebumps at times. There’s an incredibly sick percussion break at 2:24 which then leads to my favorite part of the track: At the 3 minute mark, after some buildup, the backup singers surprise us with a chant of “Yo soy de P fkn R.” It’s unexpected due to the profanity but it works so well. Se le infla el pecho a cualquiera.

In summary, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is decidedly Benito’s most patriotic album by far. It combines elements of multiple genres of music associated with his homeland of Puerto Rico, from salsa to plena to reggaetón and everything in between. It’s a fascinating experiment that, in the opinion of this reviewer, works to a T.

P.S. This review is quite long, but if enough people like it, I might translate it into Spanish and repost. I only wrote it in English to get it in front of more eyeballs. Peace.