“El Apagón”, Bad Bunny’s Video in Support of Puerto Rico before US Corporations

The message expressed in the video report is clear: Unity is strength. The eighth single from the most listened to album of 2022, titled “El Apagón (Aquí Vive Gente)” by Bad Bunny, continues to be a topic of conversation after the release of its music video with a special dedication to the Puerto Rican people. The compelling short film with a social context is part of the album “Un Verano Sin Ti” which continues to lead the global charts and makes him the king of the music industry.

The reggaeton singer's lyrics of protest appear during the first minutes of the short film, alternating the song with the beginning of a report on the takeover of the island by US companies that have displaced the Puerto Rican population in recent years. And it is during the initial moments when the artist can be seen in front of the camera along with other Puerto Ricans who dance to the rhythm of the song.

The People's Voice

The theme of reggaeton has been used in the best possible way to create a video that will make his followers think abou the situations in Puerto Rico. Also, will cause division between those who support the well-being of the Puerto Rican population and those who seek to expel locals from their homes in search of a “development” that only favors the portfolios of US investors. Address a topic of social and political context. In this way, it has been the ideal approach by Bad Bunny to call on those who seek to join his cause for the common good of his people.

In addition, it has incorporated a wide variety of Puerto Rican residents for the video clip, who narrate their stories to seek greater depth in terms of how affected the population has been by socioeconomic events. The attraction has been achieved by making an excellent transition between the appearance of the reggaeton player at the beginning of the video, to captivate the viewer, and then carry the message in greater detail in the form of a documentary. Which allows the short film that exceeds twenty minutes to be digestible and understandable for the viewer who is unaware of the subject and allows a new perspective of the events described by the residents.

This ends up being the perfect complement to the song as an anthem for the Puerto Rican people, who have not stood idly by and have faced the displacement that has been imposed on them. The documentary has portrayed the protests throughout Puerto Rico, in which communities urge Americans to leave their territory in peace. Likewise, there is a masterful accompaniment at the end of Gabriela Berlingeri, the artist's girlfriend, in the song that says: “I don't want to leave here. Let them go, let them go" in spanish.

Also read: Bad Bunny at the VMAs: a figure beyond music

Documentary about Puerto Rican Suffering

Shortly after the video clip begins, the focus is on the title of the song as a result of the blackouts that have affected the population of Puerto Rico after the acquisition of electricity by a US private sector company, LUMA Energy.

It is important to mention that, during his live performances, Bad Bunny has already criticized the electric company that has harmed the daily life of the Puerto Rican population. In the first bars of the music video, which for moments begins its transition to a documentary, the affected citizens are shown. Mainly, it is about hospitals and children who must study in the dark. The video implies Benito's commitment to confront the oppression that impacts his beloved island, both for economic and socio-cultural reasons.

The documentary narrated by the local independent journalist Bianca Graulau becomes the heart of the clip that lasts nearly twenty-three minutes. During the report, multiple residents of Puerto Rico have been brought together to narrate the adverse situations that have affected them in recent years, particularly gentrification caused by US investors who have bought the homes of Puerto Ricans to convert apartment blocks into residences and high-priced hotels.

The video addresses the issue why Puerto Rico has become a tax haven for US investors. This is due to Law 22, which allows US investors to avoid paying taxes on their investments in real estate, cryptocurrencies, and stocks on the stock market. This law has benefited more than 3,000 people, but has harmed the residents who have lost their homes, schools, and access to the beaches that are public by law. The gentrification phenomenon takes place today in Puerta de Tierra, San Juan neighborhood, and in the Puerto Rican territory in general.