On Feb 29th, 2020 Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, a.k.a Bad Bunny dropped his second jaw-dropping album for the world to hear and I think we can all agree it’s amazing in all its glory. From the album cover to everyday merch releases, to the title, it has been such an exciting ride and it feels like the excitement is never going to end. He has dropped a new music video daily, while also providing exclusive merch that is only available for 24 hours before it’s gone completely. He has had fans refreshing his site daily for new merch and I can attest that some of it is fire (catch me wearing my merch around campus soon). Can you imagine what his next concert will look like, everyone sporting different merch while shouting “YHLQMDLG”. For those of you who don’t know, that weird-looking scramble of letters is his album title which means “Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana” (I Do Whatever I want), and if that isn’t a whole mood then I don’t know what is.
Compared to his previous album, YHLQMDLG sets a new, fun and exciting mood for listeners. While still having a sense of nostalgia and reminding us of the good ol’ reggaeton days, he knows how to make it a hit by playing with numerous emotions. Many describe the beginning of the album as an unofficial/official goodbye to “your ex,” and a couple of tracks later all you want to do is be dancing the night away with friends and some drinks on hand. One thing Benito never fails to do is be himself and every single track shows that. He isn’t afraid of showing his true self and in fact is a firm believer in people living their best lives as their true self. On one of his recent appearances on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Bad Bunny is seen wearing a skirt and a shirt that says “They Killed Alexa, Not a man in a skirt.” This was to show support and bring attention to the killing of a homeless transgender woman residing in Puerto Rico. He wants to bring awareness and educate others that hate crimes are not okay, people should be able to live their lives as they are, and shouldn’t have to fear being in the streets because at any moment someone could murder them for not agreeing on who the person may identify as.
With the success of his latest release, fans can surely expect concert dates soon, and I know I’ll definitely be in attendance. I attended his previous concert at the Prudential Center and to this day it has been the best concert I have ever been to in my entire life. His stage presence, charisma, respect and appreciation of fans, goofiness, style, confidence, and more make him one of the best entertainers ever. We have definitely seen an increase in supporters in both the English/Spanish speaking communities and his rise to fame has happened so quickly that I think as fans we’re excited to where his journey will continue to grow (even though he says he’s “retiring” in 9 months). His appearance at the Superbowl this year was another huge accomplishment and made the Latinx community proud, by representing us on such a huge platform and showing everyone that through hard work and dedication anything is possible.
If you haven’t bumped his latest album yet, well what the hell are you waiting for? I promise you, you won’t regret it. And if by the end of it you just want more of Mr. Bad Bunny, listen to the “This is Bad Bunny” playlist on Spotify for more of his chart stopping and extremely catchy hits. Don’t forget to post your TikTok challenges for a chance to possibly win tickets to his next concert! I know I’ll be posting one soon, so stay tuned and until next time HLQTDLG (Haz Lo Que Te De La Gana).