Things are heating up at the start of the new year with Bad Bunny‘s latest album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. The album is full of bouncy reggaeton beats while capturing Puerto Rico’s unapologetic essence through its tracks. Released on Jan. 5, 2025, the album was preceded by a short film of the same title. In the film, viewers see an older man talk to his small friend Concho about how he wishes he would have taken more pictures and lived and loved more. He then strolls around Puerto Rico on a journey to buy a pastrami sandwich and quesito. On his walk, he sees foreigners speaking only English and a gentrified bakery.
This feeling of regret of not taking more pictures and nostalgia for what Puerto Rico was like is the feelings Bad Bunny’s song “DtMF.” The song has a mellow beat paired with choir vocalist singing “Debí tirar más fotos de cuando te tuve/ Debí darte más beso’ y abrazo’ las vece’ que pude / Ey, ojalá que los mío’ nunca se muden/ Y si hoy me emborracho, pues que me ayuden”
Many have started to post pictures of their loved ones who have passed away with these lyrics, kickstarting a new trend on TikTok. The trend has even evoked a response from Bad Bunny himself, who posted a TikTok on Jan. 8 with teary eyes.
So, what do the “DtMF” lyrics mean? Well… its actually about missing (presumably) those who have left Puerto Rico.
The song starts with “Otro sunset bonito que veo en San Juan/ Disfrutando de todas esas cosas que extrañan los que se van (Van, van)/ Disfrutando de noche’ de esas que ya no se dan,”
which translates to “Another beautiful sunset I see in San Juan/ Enjoying everything that the departed are missing/ Enjoying nights like those that don’t come anymore.”
The whole album is threaded with yearning and advocacy for a previous Puerto Rico that has now been changed. The first line of “DTMF” alludes to the sunsets in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny follows this by saying he’s enjoying things that people who moved out of Puerto Rico miss, as well as the nights that are now rare in the continually gentrified island. Bad Bunny is no stranger to bringing awareness to issues in his beloved island as he did so in his 2022 song “El Apagon.”
The Grammy winner goes on to sing, “Pero queriendo volver a la última vez/ Que a los ojos te miré / Y contarte las cosas que no te conté (Te parece’ a mi crush, jaja) / Y tirarte la’ foto’ que no te tiré,” which translates to, “But wanting to go back to the last time I looked into your eyes/ And to tell you the things I didn’t get to tell you (You look like my crush, haha) / And to take the pictures I didn’t gеt to take”
This encapsulates the sense of nostalgia and regret of not doing as much as you can for a loved one. Wanting to have the chance to go back and be with a partner to tell them things you could not and capture moments you didn’t — Just like the short film expressed.
The viral part of the song translates to, “I should’ve taken more pictures when I had you / I should’ve given you more kisses and hugs whenever I could / Ayy, I hope my people never move away / And if I get drunk today, I hope they help me out”
These lyrics coupled with the sounds of a choir evoke a sense of mourning for not being able to show more love and affection to those who are not there anymore.
Many people on TikTok have been using this part of the song to share videos of those they care about who’ve passed on. Others have used the lyrics to showcase the feeling that comes with missing the opportunity to connect with one’s culture.
Safe to say that although the sticky beat will have fans dancing, its lyrics and trend will have some of us crying in the club.