Those that know me are probably shocked or even worried that I am telling people to listen to a Latin trap artist. While for the longest time I couldn’t stand this music genre, recently Bad Bunny and his innovative approach to trap has changed that. Bad Bunny – Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio – was born in 1994 in Puerto Rico. Since 2016 he has become a trendsetter for the Latin trap genre through his songs and the topics they deal with.
In December of 2018, Bad Bunny released a new album X100PRE (Forever) which is comprised of fifteen new songs and features artists like Drake, Diplo, El Alfa, and Nitti Gritti. While each song maintains the upbeat characteristics of Latin trap, the songs in this album have so much more to offer.
Caro is one of my favorite songs included in this album. Not only is it a great song to listen to, but both the song and its video (click here to watch) make very important social commentaries on gender fluidity. Through it, he questions why people do not let him be how he wants to be and how he could possibly be hurting others by being himself. Caro in Spanish means expensive, and in the chorus, he exemplifies how he knows how much he is worth and that he is too expensive for you. The video challenges common views on gender by presenting a gender fluid person as the main character.
Another song that I can’t stop listening to is Solo de Mi. Both the song and its video (click here to watch), are incredibly powerful in raising awareness for domestic abuse. “Solo de mi” translates to “just for myself” or “just mine” and tries to show the importance of self-love and of belonging only to oneself and not to someone else.
Latin trap and reggaeton have often been criticized for the way they talk about women and how they incite certain behaviors that are problematic for both males and females, yet Bad Bunny has challenged this and has created great social commentary out of some of his songs. Challenging commonly held beliefs in Latin America about gender and domestic abuse through music, especially music that young people are listening, is incredibly important.
Other songs in the album that you will want to play on repeat are Si Estuviesemos Juntos, La Romana, Estamos Bien, and Mia.
Now that finals are right around the corner, take some time to make a great playlist to destress and don’t forget to add some Bad Bunny. Also, if you are trying to procrastinate, take some time to look at the videos for his songs…I’m not going to lie, they are my favorite part!