El Apagón: A love letter to my island
Editor’s note: Bad Bunny is not just a global music star; he is a cultural and political force whose work reflects how many Puerto Ricans experience identity, migration, power, and belonging. Ahead of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance, Pasquines is publishing a short series of essays, explaining songs like El Apagón from across his discography for audiences who may be encountering his music — and its meaning — for the first time. We will be unpacking individual songs and what they mean to the writers who live with their echoes — on the islands and in the diaspora. Through music, memory, and context, these pieces explore Puerto Rico as lived reality, not metaphor.
El Apagón marked a turning point for me. It’s a passive protest criticizing the tax incentive laws that attract foreign millionaires. This song blends reggaeton with bomba, reaffirming that we are not merchandise but a heritage. It speaks of how thousands of Puerto Ricans had to leave for another country in search of economic improvement and growth, since opportunities here are scarce.
I use the rhythm to denounce the electricity crisis and the precariousness that Puerto Rico experiences under the management of LUMA Energy, a private company with a deplorable system.
Its video is A short film where he explains to the world, along with journalist Bianca Graulau, the situations mentioned above, using real evidence. In this way, Bad Bunny, with his global platform, helps us expose the true face and how we continue fighting to not extinguish our future or that of our people.
