How Bad Bunny’s latest album could redefine Grammy recognition

Bad Bunny has long occupied a singular position in global popular music, but his latest recognition at the upcoming Grammy Awards signals a notable shift in how Spanish-language work is acknowledged within mainstream institutions.

Bad Bunny has received six Grammy nominations

The Puerto Rican artist, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has received six nominations, becoming the first Spanish-language artist to be shortlisted simultaneously for album, song and record of the year. His latest release, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, is only the second Spanish-language album to be nominated for album of the year — following his own Un Verano Sin Ti in 2022.

For scholars and cultural observers, the moment reflects more than individual success. Vanessa Díaz, associate professor of Chicano and Latino studies at Loyola Marymount University, describes the nominations as recognition of a broader musical lineage. Caribbean music, she notes, has influenced global sound for centuries, yet institutional acknowledgement has often lagged behind audience reception.

Albert Laguna, associate professor of American studies at Yale University, places Bad Bunny within a longer historical continuum. From salsa to reggaetón, music from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean has shaped global listening habits, even when its origins were marginalised or misunderstood. Latin trap and reggaetón — genres central to Bad Bunny’s career — were once viewed with suspicion in Puerto Rico, much like hip-hop’s early treatment in the United States.

What distinguishes Debí Tirar Más Fotos is its deliberate grounding in local tradition. Across the album, contemporary production is woven together with música jíbara, salsa, bomba, plena and aguinaldo, notably on tracks such as Pitorro de Coco. Rather than smoothing these influences for broader appeal, the record leans into them.

Laguna views this approach as a reversal of the conventional global-pop trajectory, where artists often dilute local elements as their reach expands. In contrast, this album is widely considered Bad Bunny’s most explicitly Puerto Rican work to date, foregrounding cultural specificity rather than muting it.

The album’s themes — memory, place, tourism and cultural preservation — are reflected not only in its sound but in its reception. While Bad Bunny has previously won three Grammys, those awards were limited to música urbana categories, despite his global streaming dominance. This year’s nominations in major fields suggest a recalibration of genre boundaries.

The record’s appeal also spans generations. Petra Rivera-Rideau, associate professor at Wellesley College, points out that the inclusion of traditional musical forms has drawn in listeners who might otherwise distance themselves from reggaetón’s aesthetics. At the same time, the album remains formally innovative, allowing older genres to reach new audiences without losing their character.

This balance was evident during Bad Bunny’s recent Puerto Rican residency, which attracted a notably diverse audience in both age and geography. The music’s accessibility, Rivera-Rideau suggests, lies in its ability to feel familiar and contemporary at once.

Regardless of the outcome at the Grammy Awards, Debí Tirar Más Fotos has already established itself as a marker of changing industry norms. It illustrates how local histories can be presented on global platforms without translation or compromise — and how recognition can evolve alongside listening habits.

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