Review: YHLQMDLG - Bad Bunny
By Eleni Haberis
When a memory is so vividly attached to music, it stays like that forever. The first time I heard Bad Bunny, I was in a nightclub in Argentina; every time I've listened to him since, I have been transported back to that moment. Not because I am an overly nostalgic little baby (this time), but because Bad Bunny’s spirit, voice, and energy just throws me there - I have no choice. His new album, YHLQMDLG (Spanish for Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana, English for “I Do Whatever I Want”) is no exception.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio MartÃnez Ocasio, rose to fame only about two years ago. But the diversity of his tracks, and his ability to blend genre characteristics of trap, dancehall, dembow, and AutoTune crooning with modern flair makes his discography feel like that of a Latin industry veteran. You can hear this throughout YHLQMDLG on its variety of songs, or, if you're in a rush, all in one! Songs like “Safaera” have enough tempo changes and early 2000s references (such as the electric “Get Your Freak On” sample) to showcase all of his talent, while at the same time paying tribute to the early reggaeton DJs. He even manages to mix Latin rock influences on songs like “Hablamos Manana,” and club-friendly EDM on “Solia.” Bad Bunny can make any sound feel like it was meant for reggaeton.
YHLQMDLG is both a genealogy of reggaeton and a look towards its future. Bad Bunny crafts songs that embody what earlier legends like Daddy Yankee and Jowell & Randy used to serve, but these are more than just salutes - the artists themselves are featured on the album. However, even though Bad Bunny pays tribute to the reggaeton he grew up listening to, he distances himself from the classic cultural norms it holds. He’s done this most successfully with his aesthetic, in which he inverses the ultra macho facade of reggaeton by painting his nails, wearing colorful clothes (even skirts), and vocalizing his political views on and off stage. Bad Bunny knows the importance of respecting his roots, but he’s fully willing to question the norms of his industry in order to move himself and his sound forward. This certainly accounts for why he is popular: he knows where he comes from and plays on that, but elevates everything to something fresh, fun and contemporarily conscious.
In addition to the 20 songs on YHLQMDLG, Bad Bunny released quite a few music videos and visuals to go along with the record, which further develop its message and aesthetic. The video to “Si Veo a Tu Mama” the first track on the record, starts with a man staring into a noose in the middle of a party. Nobody seems to notice until a young adolescent comes up to him and asks, “what are you doing?” The man tells him how sad he is, and the child introduces him to his coping mechanism for when he is sad - listening to Bad Bunny. You don't need to speak Spanish to understand what's going on and why this is important to start the album. Bad Bunny sees himself as both the man in the noose and the child that notices his pain. His fame scares him (he’s already teased about retiring after the next album), but he remembers how much reggaeton shaped his young life and how having some fun can slap you out of comatic depression. Bad Bunny is here to serve us old school sounds, make us get up and dance, and remind us to not take everything so seriously. !Hagamos lo que nos da la gana!
