WATCH: Bad Bunny Parties With Clubgoers in Puerto Rico
Early Sunday morning (May 15), social media channels lit up with videos of Bad Bunny making a surprise appearance at El Nie Bar in Puerto Rico’s Santurce neighborhood. However, the most memorable moment of the night was when the bar experienced a power outage, a common occurrence on the island, which led Benito to go into an acapella version of “El Apagón,” from his highly anticipated and well-received album Un Verano Sin Ti, which dropped May 6, 2022.
@badbunnyMALDITA SEA! OTRO APAGÓN… ayer en el jangueo se fue la luz, normal, así es el sistema eléctrico de mi país, inservible y en cualquier momento puede fallar. Apesar de todo, el party y la vibra estaba bien cabrona y esta fue la reacción de la gente. LOS AMO CON LA VIDA ???? PR ESTÁ BIEN CABRÓN!!!♬ original sound – Bad Bunny
He captioned the video by saying: “Power outages are normal. This is the electrical system of his country—unreliable and at any moment it can fail.” Even so, it’s still a vibe and he loves Puerto Rico.
This is evident in “El Apagón,” or “The Blackout” in English, simultaneously a love song and political critique to Puerto Rico, critiquing the power outages the island experiences frequently and the displacement of its people. The lyrics also namecheck Puerto Rican NBA player J.J. Barea (with a reminder that he won a championship before LeBron James) and pays homage to Maelo Ruiz and Tego Calderón — the singers who came before him and includes the sure-to-be Instagram favorite caption: “Ahora todos quieren ser Latinos, pero les falta sazón” (“Now everyone wants to be Latino but the lack flavor”). The song ends with a passionate anti-settler colonialism proclamation for Puerto Rico, saying the beaches and sun belong to its people.
The packed crowd sang along and lit up the room with the flashlights on their phones. “I love his spontaneity and how down to earth he is,” one Instagram user commented. “He hasn’t lost his humility.”
Numerous videos show Benito walking through the packed dance floor, fist-bumping patrons, grabbing drinks at the bar, jumping into the dj booth to sing songs off his new album, and partying alongside his fellow citizens. In addition to “El Apagón,” he sang “Después de la Playa” and “Dos Mil 16.”
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From the smile on his face in the videos, he seems to be enjoying the success of his latest hitmaker. Benito was joined by his “Un Verano Sin Ti” collaborator Mora and his girlfriend Gabriela Berlingeri.
