Bad Bunny’s Sharp New Album Is Full of NSFW Moments and Frustrations with Fame — Here’s What We Learned
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Bad Bunny loves to keep people guessing, and he wanted fans to stay on their toes before he dropped his latest album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. This summer, he told Rolling Stone he likely wouldn’t release more music until 2024. Then his team hinted that maybe a whole LP was coming. He denied that in an interview. Then he launched a WhatsApp channel where he reminded people that he never confirmed an album. But then he said he also didn’t not confirm an album.
All the mindgames and playful banter led to Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, the 22-song LP he dropped on Friday. Interestingly enough, it’s a return to the Latin trap from the beginning of his career, when he was a kid releasing loosies on Soundcloud and winning fans with a rowdy, raunchy, IDGAF attitude. Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana embraces the boldest side of that early era and punches things up with the bluster and bravado he’s earned now that he’s one of the biggest superstars on the planet. Throughout the project, he also grapples with the trappings of fame, takes aim at his haters, and examines how far he’s come over the last six-plus years. Here’s everything we learned:
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This Is a Blast From the Past — With a Twist
Trap Bunny is back, guys! Fans have long speculated that Bad Bunny was planning a return to his trap roots, especially after he revealed in a video that he’d shaved his head in a way that reminded people of the razored look from the beginning of his career.
Starting with the dramatic, six-minute opener “NADIE SABE,” Bad Bunny loads the album with tough, brass-knuckled bars, unforgiving verses, and a slew of collaborators pulled from the very best corners of Latin trap. Respected veterans Arcángel and Ñengo Flow power up “ACHO PR,” and Eladio Carrion adds his flow to “THUNDER Y LIGHTNING.” (Bad Bunny also gives Carrion his prop on “MONACO,” where he raps, “Hace rato me quité del trap, yo se lo dejé a Eladio.” [“I left trap a while ago, I left it to Eladio.”]) A younger generation is present, too: Young Miko, easily one of the most exciting rappers in the genre right now, bounces freely across “FINA,” while Yovngchimi hops on “MERCEDES CAROTA.” These collaborations are overwhelmingly Puerto Rican — and far from fake tracklists that had been circulating the Internet, listing features with Drake and Taylor Swift.
And while Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana deals mostly in Latin trap, these aren’t standard beats. “HIBIKI” is a thumping EDM track, “NO ME QUIERO CASAR” has a zipping synth line, and “WHERE SHE GOES,” the first single from the project, made a mark with Jersey club influences. So, while this might be the style we know from early in his career, the sound has been shellacked, shaken up, and updated, thanks to Bad Bunny’s usual producers Tainy, MAG, and La Paciencia.
Bad Bunny Is Fed Up With Fame
Bad Bunny has been looking to the past partially because he’s come so far recently. There’s a nostalgic way of remembering how it all started — particularly because he’s also grappling with just how hard fame and mega-stardom can be. In that sense, it makes sense he’d want to tap into the confrontational, no-holds-barred formulas of Latin trap to get his thoughts out. He goes off: Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana is packed with irate confessions. “Hoy me depositaron, a los GRAMMYs nominaron, Otra vez me criticaron y ninguna me importaron,” he raps on “MONACO.” (“I got a deposit, a Grammy nomination, they’re criticizing me again and I don’t care.”) On “TELEFONO NUEVO” he gripes, “Mientras más alto tú está’, más bajo te quiere ver caer la gente.” (“The higher you are, the lower people want to see you fall.”)
A lot of his thoughts come on the very first track. “Dicen que el mundo va a acabarse, ojalá que sea pronto,” come the nihilistic first line of the record. “(They say the world is going to end, I hope it’s soon.”) He raps that he never wanted to be an example and urges people to stop being stupid and thinking they know about the inner lives of celebrities. “Tú no ere’ mi fan real, por eso te tiré el celular,” he goes on, referencing the infamous phone-throwing incident back in January.
People Are Going To Read Into His Relationships
One of the reasons Bad Bunny seems so tired of fame might have to do with how much gossip his rumored relationship with Kendall Jenner has generated. No, there are no direct confirmations that they’re together, but people do think there are a few allusions to her on some songs. “To’ el mundo habla, pero están de espectador/Se preguntan cómo nos comunicamo’, mejor ni les contamo’,” he raps on “FINA.” (“The whole world is talking but they’re all spectators, they ask us how we communicate, let’s just not tell them.”) The lyrics seem to answer questions fans have had about how Bad Bunny and Jenner communicate, since his fluency in English has been questioned and Jenner appears to speak no Spanish.
A more shocking detail comes later: “Bien arrebata’o chingando en casa de tu hermana.” (“Really drunk and fucking at your sister’s house.”) On social media, people jumped on the lyrics, inferring that maybe Jenner and Bad Bunny may have had sex at a Kardashian’s house.
Still, it’s all speculation. The only relationship he brings up directly is the one he has with Gabriela Berlingeri, his ex-girlfriend. He thanks her and several close friends, including his manager Noah Assad, at the end of “ACHO PR,” rapping, “Gracia’ Dios por poner en mi camino/A Jan, a Noah y a Gabriela.” (Thank God for putting in my path/Jan and Noah and Gabriela.”)
His References Range From Frankie Boy to Madonna — And Is That Balvin and Karol Shade?
Yes, that’s the familiar shimmer from Madonna’s “Vogue” on the down-tempo trap track “VOU 787.” Young Miko’s voice winds into a Tego Calderon sample on “FINA.” And Frankie Boy’s “Hey Girl” can be heard on “NO ME QUIERO CASAR” – one of the few nods to reggaeton on the album.
Other lyrical references raised eyebrows. On “THUNDER Y LIGHTNING,” Bad Bunny spits, “Ustedes me han visto con los mismo mientras ustedes son amigo de todo el mundo como Balvin.” (“You guys have seen me with the ame people while you guys are friends with the whole world like Balvin.”) Some fans took it as a dig at Balvin, which would be surprising since both Carrion and Bad Bunny have collaborated with the Colombian artist multiple times. Elsewhere, people wondered if Bad Bunny was referencing Karol G on “VUELVE CANDY B,” when he says, “Vengo de PR, de donde son las verdaderas bichota.” (“I come from PR, where real bichotas are from.”) Karol, who is Colombian, has drawn criticism in the past for using the Puerto Rican slang word “bichota” as her nickname.
More Is On The Way
Most Bad Bunny albums end with some sense of mystery. He frequently sprinkles in clues about what might come next. (We’re still recovering from “<3,” the closer from YHLQMDLG, where he insinuated that he might retire.)
Fans had already heard “Un Preview,” a song he released just before dropping the album. It’s the only hint of real reggaeton on Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Bad Bunny chose to put it right at the end. Many people think it’s a clue that while this album is full of Latin trap, the next one will go deeper into reggaeton — maybe a journey back to his YHLQMDLG era.
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