Puerto Rico’s Bad Bunny made history this Sunday at the Grammy Awards by winning the award for best album of the year with his album ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’, the first one entirely in Spanish, and dedicated the recognition to his mother and his country.
“Thank you mommy for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico,” said Benito Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, noticeably moved from the stage after receiving the award from Harry Styles.
Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year with Spanish-language record
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The album, his sixth studio album consisting of 17 songs, is a love letter to his native Puerto Rico, in which he addresses social issues such as the gentrification affecting the island.
“Puerto Rico, believe me when I tell you that we are much bigger than 100×25 and there is nothing we can’t accomplish,” the singer commented in Spanish, referring to the popular Puerto Rican expression “100 by 35,” for the approximate measurements of the island: 100 miles long by 35 miles wide.
Benito Ocasio Martinez also spoke in English to dedicate his historic award to “all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams,” another of the themes of his album.
He lashes out at ICE: “We are not savages, we are human and American”.
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The singer had already taken the stage of these awards to receive the award for best urban music album, where he condemned the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Before I thank God, I’m going to say: ICE out,” commented the artist, who is a week away from starring at halftime of the Super Bowl, the most important sporting event in the United States, which has been criticized on multiple occasions by President Donald Trump.
“We are not savages we are not animals we are human and we are Americans,” he said after picking up the award for best urban music album.
Bad Bunny added during his powerful speech that hate “only generates more hate”.
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love, so please, we need to be different. If we fight we have to fight with love, we don’t hate you, we love our people and our family, don’t forget that,” he concluded.
His words come in the midst of tense political moments as a result of the immigration operations implemented by the Trump Administration, and the death of two protesters in Minneapolis by gunfire from federal agents.
Bad Bunny’s ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’ won the Grammy for best urban music album on Sunday, a category in which he competed alongside J Balvin’s ‘Mixteip’, Feid’s ‘FERXXO VOL X: Sagrado’, Nicki Nicole’s ‘NAIKI’, Trueno’s ‘EUB DELUXE’ and Yandel’s ‘SINFÓNICO (En Vivo)’.
With information from EFE
