Bad Bunny has been spending way too much time around Drake. That’s a good thing for us hip hop lovers who missed Bad Bunny’s trap roots, searching for a Latin alternative to the popular English-speaking artists, but a scary thing for those of us who can’t get enough of his reggaeton sound. That’s why his new album has torn me, along with many other BB fans, in half.
On Oct.13, the Puerto Rican artist, born Benito Martínez Ocasio, released his 22-song fifth solo studio album “Nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana,” which translates to “no one knows what will happen tomorrow.” Functioning like a rap homecoming, he used his album to alert the music industry and his fans that, while his name is well known, nobody knows the real him.
Conceptually, the album is multifaceted and insightful: he addresses the many hardships of newfound fame, emphasizing the absurd transaction of power and wealth for one’s humanity. Throughout the tracks, he complements more profound lyrics with commentary on his other favorite topics (women, money and his love for Puerto Rico).
In that sense, El Conejo Malo produces an ode to his roots and real fans; yet he does so, just in a musically less intricate and magical manner compared to his generation-defining anthems. For example, “ACHO PR” serves as a lyrical reminder that despite his fame and many properties, his true home is Puerto Rico. What robs the song of its greatness is the redundant, “mid” beat the lyrics are rapped over.
But the mass media’s iffy reviews on the album are exactly what he expected. As he raps in “NADIE SABE,” “Este disco no es pa’ ser tocado ni un billón de vista / Es pa’ que mis fans reales estén contento,’” which translates to, “this album is not meant to be played and get a billion views / It’s so my real fans are happy.”
As with any other of Bad Bunny’s creative endeavors, I’ll support him no matter what. “Nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana,” however, is a pitiful and inaccurate representation of the artist’s enchanting musical capabilities. After all, no one knows what tomorrow will bring, so the least we can do is hope for better from Benito in future projects.
