{"id":2274894,"date":"2026-02-09T22:49:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2274894"},"modified":"2026-02-09T22:49:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:49:24","slug":"bad-bunnys-new-album-leans-on-a-uw-madison-profs-research-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/bad-bunnys-new-album-leans-on-a-uw-madison-profs-research-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Bunny\u2019s new album leans on a UW-Madison prof\u2019s research | Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Following Bad Bunny’s joyful Super Bowl halftime show featuring music from his Grammy Award-winning album,\u00a0\u201cDeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS\u201d (translated to \u201cI should have taken more pictures\u201d), we are re-posting this interview from February 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n

A UW-Madison professor helped the artist, whose given name is\u00a0Benito Antonio Mart\u00ednez Ocasio, with background history that informed the album. This story was originally posted on Feb. 27, 2025<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Jorell A. Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo promised his wife, child and therapist he\u2019d leave his laptop at home.<\/p>\n

But when Bad Bunny\u2019s team DMed him on Christmas Eve while Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo was on vacation in Europe, he had to take the call. The singer\u2019s team wanted this University of Wisconsin-Madison historian and professor of Latin American and Caribbean history to contribute historical narratives to pair with his new album, \u201cDeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS\u201d (translated to \u201cI should have taken more pictures\u201d).<\/p>\n

Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo wrote \u201cPuerto Rico: A National History,\u201d published by Princeton University Press in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of (Benito\u2019s) thinking was that Puerto Rican history is unknown,\u201d Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo said.<\/p>\n

Benito Antonio Mart\u00ednez Ocasio, known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is one of the most popular musicians in the world. The three-time Grammy award-winning artist was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and his music has helped make Spanish-language rap mainstream. His 2022 album, \u201cUn Verano Sin Ti,\u201d\u00a0is the most streamed album on Spotify<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Back in Europe without his computer, Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo got to writing, recounting and synthesizing critical historical moments in Puerto Rican history. This is history not often taught in public schools in Puerto Rico, from the territory\u2019s history of surveillance to the significance of the light blue on the original Puerto Rican flag, to pair with the album.<\/p>\n

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Bad Bunny performs on May 15, 2024, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n PAUL R. GIUNTA \/ AP PHOTO<\/span>
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With \u201cDeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS,\u201d Bad Bunny highlights the political realities of the territory while centering the island\u2019s cultural richness and identity. His lyrics speak directly to the people of Puerto Rico while weaving together sonic influences from Afro-Caribbean styles like bomba and plena.<\/p>\n

Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo added even more context to the album. His handwritten notes would become the basis for the visualizers paired with each of the album\u2019s 17 songs, essentially slide decks highlighting important moments or themes in Puerto Rican history.<\/p>\n

Bad Bunny has called attention to how little Puerto Rican history is taught in schools<\/a>. Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo said that\u2019s because Puerto Rico has been \u201ca colonial possession since 1493.\u201d Colonialism, he said, necessitates the erasure of history \u2014\u00a0and not knowing history means it\u2019s harder to change the current reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bad Bunny\u2019s album, said Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo, speaks to \u201ccultural, national affirmation in the face of displacement and the erasure of our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mel\u00e9ndez-Badillo took The Cap Times through three songs from the new album and how the visualizers he created speak to the lyrics and tone of the songs they were paired with.<\/p>\n

Track #1: \u201cNUEVAYoL\u201d and the history of the Puerto Rican flag<\/strong><\/p>\n

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