[“Hablamos Mañana” by Bad Bunny]
Maria: So now we're going to kind of touch on his music because he came out with the new album. Nat and I literally waited until midnight to hear it, but I also think we're not the only ones.
Natalia: No.
Maria: Everyone did. Everyone was waiting. Also, he released an album for the first time in 16 months, yet, X100PRE stays relevant. I still listen to X100PRE every day.
Natalia: X100PRE came out on Nochebuena. So in Latin America, Nochebuena is the day before Christmas, and that’s celebrated more than Christmas Day.
Maria: Yeah, the night of the 24th of December.
Natalia: So what did I do? So I was in Mexico, but I was with all my cousins. I have a lot of cousins, and they're kinda running all over the place. So I locked myself in a room. Plug my headphones in, listen to it, walked out and was like wow. Merry Christmas. Best Christmas present I've received. Getting back to his new album.
Maria: Yeah. Let’s get back into Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana. We kind of like decided that we're gonna touch on our personal favorites and then also the songs we think are going to be the biggest hits.
Natalia: So this album is completely Latino. Unlike the last album, where Bad Bunny had a song with Drake, this one features collabs with only Latin artists but from all over Latin America. With Duki from Argentina, Pablo Chill-E from Chile, Sech from Panama and Daddy Yankee, who is an overall reggaeton icon. He sings "Gasolina," which you've probably all heard.
Maria: And he was also the inspiration for Bad Bunny to become an artist.
Natalia: Bad Bunny is living his dream.
Maria: So we're going to kind of like alternate and talk about our favorites.
Natalia: So the first song in the album is “Si Veo a Tu Mamá...”
[“Si Veo a Tu Mamá" by Bad Bunny]
Natalia: Which is like at the very beginning. The beat is very catchy. But some of you might have recognized it because he sampled a song called “The Girl From Ipanema.” And so that's why it might sound very familiar, and I think it's so cool that he did that. It kind of shows how he can modernize it. And then also the lyrics. When he says, “Solo comparto memes, ya no escribo nada. Y no he borra’o tu foto, solo la puse en privada.” So that translates essentially to “Now I only share memes, I don't write anything anymore. I didn't delete your photo. I only put it on private.” And I think that really speaks to our generation.
Maria: Yeah.
Natalia: Because ... Yeah, so the song is more melancholy and kind of sad...
Maria: But it's also really happy. It's the one thing I’ll point out.
Natalia: Which is very ironic. And it's great. Musically, great song.
Maria: Yes. Okay. One of my favorites is “La Santa,” which is Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny’s collaboration on this album.
["La Santa" by Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee]
Maria: I actually didn't think I’d like it as much, but the more I listened to the album, the more it stood out to me. I think more because lyrically I kind of really liked it. Like I saw this TikTok...
Natalia: Oh no.
Maria: About this guy who was talking about how Bad Bunny’s album is kind of like phases of a breakup.
Natalia: Yes, I saw that TikTok.
Maria: Yeah. And so like, I don't know. I feel like this is like one that's particularly like when you start realizing that you're catching feelings for someone but you're in denial. And I think it perfectly captures that feeling.
Natalia: So, kind of going off of that. So, Bad Bunny ... he kind of tells a story that's not – it's not chronological – but he tells a story throughout his album. So the next song I really like is “Pero Ya No.”
["Pero Ya No" by Bad Bunny]
Natalia: And this is kind of at the end of the last phase of a relationship where it's like, I used to like you, you used to like me, but not anymore. And honestly, Bad Bunny has some really funny verses. When we were listening to this, like, the first time we listened to it fully, I laughed a few times.
Maria: Oh, yeah.
Natalia: This is one of the lines. He says, “A mí ya no me cachas, yo no soy un Pokémon.” (Translation: You can’t catch me anymore, I’m not a Pokemon.) And I just think that's so funny. Yeah. And it's kind of like at the end of the breakup when you finally move on, and it slowly turns more and more upbeat kind of to symbolize the moving on and freeing yourself from a relationship. Which I think is really artistic.
Maria: So another one of my favorites is “Yo Perreo Sola.”
["Yo Perreo Sola" by Bad Bunny]
Natalia: This is gonna be the hit.
Maria: This is gonna be a hit.
Natalia: It is a hit already.
Maria: It's so good. I love this because this song really is like that...
Natalia: This is like Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” but in 2020.
Maria: But also, this is the type of stuff Benito does where he's a male but he's perfectly...
Natalia: Supporting female empowerment.
Maria: Yes.
Natalia: But also, something Bad Bunny does a lot is he mentions some of his earlier songs.
Maria: Yeah.
Natalia: So like in this he says, “Ella está soltera antes que se pusiera de moda,” which means she was single before it was in style. This is to reference his song “Soltera” with Lunay.
Maria: and Daddy Yankee.
Natalia: But yes, that’s “Yo Perreo Sola.” And then just a side note, Maria and I have formed these opinions after listening to the album constantly for like, three days so our opinions will probably change by the end of the week.
Maria: Yeah.
Natalia: Because that's just the type of people we are. When I first listened to this, I was like, '“Safaera” is definitely gonna be a hit. It's gonna be the big one.' But I will say that one part in “Safaera” where he plays the Jaws theme song...
["Safaera" by Bad Bunny]
Natalia: And I just think that's so funny. He’s so creative with his music.
Maria: The thing with “Safaera” that makes “Safaera” unique is that he sampled so many songs into one song, and it works.
Natalia: Yes.
Maria: How?
Natalia: So, moving on. There’s this one song we both really, really like. I think “25/8,” or 25/8, has some of the best lyrics of the entire album.
["25/8" by Bad Bunny]
Maria: It really does.
Natalia: My favorite one is “No e’ que sea antisocial, e’ que ustede’ dan mala vibra,” (Translation: It’s not that I’m antisocial, it’s just that you guys give off a bad vibe.) which I personally relate to because when I don't like someone or don't like a certain group of people, I will literally just shut off and not talk.
Maria: Mm-hmm.
Natalia: Sometimes people think I'm quiet or shy. But no, that probably just means I don't like you. My friends know I talk a lot. Do I talk a lot?
Maria: I don't think so…
Natalia: Okay, well, I talk.
Maria: Yes.
Natalia: Yeah, if you see me and I'm in a group setting with you. and I don't talk or ignore you…
Maria: Now you know!
Natalia: Now you know, sorry, I just exposed myself out there.
Maria: I genuinely I love “25/8”. It's one of my favorite songs. And I like the lyric that goes, “Nunca seguidor, yo siempre he sido un líder” (Translation: Never a follower, I’ve always been a leader). Because Benito, – I told this to Nat – I genuinely don't like artists who try to flaunt like they're the best. But Benito has all my respect and he can do that.
Natalia: He has the right to.
Maria: He has the right to.
Natalia: In this song he calls out like the hourly wage in Puerto Rico, which is $7.25, and he's like, this is not a livable wage. And so I think this song really personifies and embodies all of Bad Bunny: all he stands for, what he's accomplished, where he's going. I think this is one of his best works.
Maria: I agree. This song is the song that to me stands out lyrically in the album.
Natalia: And then we kind of already touched on “P FKN R.”
["P FKN R" by Bad Bunny, Kendo Kaponi and Arcángel]
Natalia: This kind of ties back to “25/8”. He again calls out the government to do something. And I think this ties also into his song “Ser Bichote” in X100PRE. So a bichote is someone in a barrio or in a neighborhood, who is a drug trafficker. But he is loved in that community because he brings money into the community and distributes it. Essentially, like a Robin Hood type of figure. And so he compares himself to that, but with music. And he does the same thing in “P FKN R”. He makes a lot of metaphors with him, music and drugs, which I think is very impactful since Latin America is many times associated with drugs.
Maria: So okay, these past few days after the album came out, the only thing I hear whenever the dorm is silent is Nat going “Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow.” I don't know why meow?
Natalia: I can't sing, so I have to use other vocal-like things.
Maria: So she's imitating this part of the song where it goes “Pr pr pr pr pr.”
Natalia: Which I think is really funny because Puerto Rico, like when you make the sounds together I mean, it makes the Pr sound and I just think that's so funny. So the next song on the album is “Hablamos Mañana...”
["Hablamos Mañana" by Bad Bunny, Duki and Pablo Chill-E]
Natalia: Which is so good. This is where he starts out with, he goes and he says, “Yo hago lo que me da la gana,” which is the name of the album obviously. He mentions it throughout the entire album, but this one's so good. He's like, "I do what I want." At the end it kind of goes into this heavy metal type of thing. So Bad Bunny is also very much influenced by pop-punk, like Blink-182. And Maria's laughing because she knows that I went – I skimmed the surface of an emo phase in middle school.
Maria: You say it with such shame.
Natalia: It was a dark time in my past. So this was just giving me flashbacks.
Maria: Yeah, Nat loves this song. I personally ... I still like it. I just don't think that it's like ... I understand why he’s kind of closing off the album with the title of the album. So I get it.
Natalia: It also gives me a lot of like early 2000s Latin pop music vibes.
Maria: Yeah.
Natalia: Also, Bad Bunny is so flexible in genre and voice.
Maria: Yeah.
Natalia: So there's a lot, before we get to the last song on the album, he has so many other songs that are not in his two albums – which you should definitely listen to. But like “Chambea” versus “Cual Es Tu Plan.”
Maria: Yeah.
Natalia: The sounds are completely different.
Maria: He said in an interview once that he knows that his audience will literally – he could like do rock. People will listen to it. He can do reggaeton. People will listen to it. He could do whatever genre he wants.
Natalia: Okay, “Cual Es Tu Plan” isn't even a genre. It sounds like elevator music with a reggaeton slow backbeat.
["Cual Es Tu Plan" by Bad Bunny, PJ Sin Suela, Ñejo]
Natalia: And it's so good.
Maria: “Cual Es Tu Plan” is one of the best songs.
Natalia: And also “Estamos Bien” is so completely different on his previous album from all the other songs he had on there.
Maria: And I will go ahead and again “Otra Noche en Miami” – literally one of the saddest songs. But also such a good beat. You can jam to it.
Natalia: Like “Otra Noche en Miami” and also “Estamos Bien” are very different from his usual pop reggaeton sounds, but “Estamos Bien” is actually one of my – it was on my Spotify Wrapped. That was my most listened to song in 2019. I love that song.
Maria: Oh, you're bringing back the Spotify Wrapped.
Natalia: I love that song. It got me through a lot of stuff. It's a great song. I love it. And now for the last song on the album.
Maria: Which is “<3”.
["<3" by Bad Bunny]
Natalia: It's not even – it's just like the...
Maria: The heart emoji – emoticon.
Natalia: Emoticon. Like the less than and the 3.
Maria: Which is stealing my brand. Truly.
Natalia: It's our brand. We both use it. So this is a very ... It’s more of an ode to his fans.
Maria: Yes, it's an ode to everyone. It's an ode to his family, to his fans, to like…
Natalia: Like he calls out his grandma.
Maria: And that's when you wanna cry.
Natalia: He's like, “Grandma today I reached another goal. I don't know if you saw me on the Super Bowl.”
Maria: Yeah.
Natalia: Which is so cute.
Maria: It's so sweet. And also, he talks a lot about how everyone wants to be like him in the industry. And he doesn't want to be like a king. He doesn't want to be considered...
Natalia: Yeah, that’s not what he wants. He doesn’t like the fame.
Maria: Yeah. And so he's kind of talking about how he's himself and that's all he wants.
Natalia: But also, something that shocked a lot of fans was...
Maria: He says ... Allegedly.
Natalia: Allegedly.
Maria: That in nine more months, he's going to release another album and then retire, which we both have different sentiments about this because ... Nat, do you think it's true? Because I don't think it's true.
Natalia: I think it's true. He put it in a song.
Maria: I actually don't think it's true.
Natalia: We will see in nine months.
Maria: We will see in nine months.
Natalia: That’s like a baby.
Maria: I don't know; I love this song. “<3” is one of my favorite ones. I just feel like – here's the thing with Bad Bunny. He makes me cry a lot.
Natalia: This album, we all thought. Like all the fans. So if you have not seen the Twitter memes for Bad Bunny, do it. They are so funny.
Maria: They’re so funny!
Natalia: Before the album, everyone was like, “Me getting ready to cry at 12 a.m.” Like us mentally preparing ourselves for sadness. But then you listen to the album and you're like, “Oh, wait.”
Maria: It's really happy.
Natalia: Yeah, and he like says that. He's like, yeah, my first album was very nostalgic. It was kind of sad. This one? No.
Maria: This one the theme is…
Natalia: Do whatever you want.
Maria: Yeah. Do whatever you want.
Natalia: That's what he says. That what that's what he does.
Maria: Yes. And I love that for him. His Instagram stories on the night of the release. If you have not watched Bad Bunny singing “Tusa” by Karol G, it is the funniest video I have seen. It makes me cry from laughter.
Natalia: We've watched it on repeat multiple times.
Maria: Yes.
Natalia: And just laughed. He’s so cute.
Maria: Literally.
Natalia: I love him.
Maria: I love this man so much. And with that, I think we end with that. That's the lesson for today.
Natalia: This is Natalia Camino.
Maria: And this is Maria Caamaño.
Natalia & Maria: On NBN Audio.
[“Hablamos Mañana,” by Bad Bunny]