Paper Topic Ideas

Bad Bunny through the lens of academic research (ft. DtMF)

If you recognize the lyric “Nuuuueeeva Yoool” you’ve probably heard Bad Bunny’s latest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. When I first heard the album, I had it on repeat for a whole week. I enjoyed listening to this album because it felt like I got to read a private love letter Bad Bunny wrote to his family, fans and Puertoricans everywhere. 

The cultural conversations that Bad Bunny has started with this album have generated plenty of response, from  TikTok deep dives to analysis by academic professionals. As a big fan of Bad Bunny and a librarian, my own curiosity got me thinking about how I could talk about Bad Bunny through the lens of academic research.

In this post I will walk through how to use artists, in this case Bad Bunny, as a starting point for brainstorming research topics.

Who is Bad Bunny?

Image source: Dana Scruggs,New York Times. Jan. 05, 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/arts/music/bad-bunny-album-debi-tirar-mas-fotos.html.

I’m going to share a few bits of information about Bad Bunny so you can get an idea of who he is. These facts can be found and verified across many platforms, but I will be using Biography.com’s Bad Bunny -Songs, Career & Facts to inform this section. Gathering basic background info on any topic can give you hints of what type of information is available or missing. Here’s what I found:

·  Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny, was born March 10, 1994, in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. 

·  Benito is a Pisces.

·  Benito’s father was a truck driver, and his mother taught English.

·  He enrolled in the audiovisual communications program at the University of Puerto Rico Arecibo campus. 

·  He first shared his music on SoundCloud

·  In July 2018, the Grammy nominated song “I like it” became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. 

·  In 2020, Spotify declared Bad Bunny the artist of the year. 

·  Bad Bunny has performed at the Super Bowl. 

There is more information about Bad Bunny, but for now this will be enough to get started.

My Process

I started my brainstorming process by listening to Bad Bunny’s new album. If you don’t have a music streaming account, don’t worry, you can listen to his songs on YouTube here. Bad Bunny’s music is primarily in Spanish, but translations can be accessed here.
 
While listening to the music, I’m going to take notes. Anything that sparks interest or relates to culture, history or other issues will be important to note.
Here are some of the lyrics that were interesting to me;

• NUEVAYoL
  Lyric: Si te quieres divertir/ con encanto y con primor/ solo tienes que vivir/ un verano en nueva york
•  LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii
  Lyrics: Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa / Quieren el barrio mío y que abuelita se vaya/ No, no suelte' la bandera ni olvide' el lelolai/ Que no quiero que hagan contigo lo que le pasó a Hawái/
• DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
  Lyrics: Debí tirar más fotos de cuando te tuve /Debí darte más beso' y abrazo' las vece' que pude / Ey, ojalá que los mío' nunca se muden

Now that I’ve pulled out some starting points, I am going to start formulating some open-ended questions. Open-ended questions cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, instead they require us to think about the what, why, or how. Open-ended questions allow us to see the whole picture, rather than pursuing the response we might want. It might seem overwhelming at first, but it’s helpful to see what information I will need to look for. Here are some questions I came up with:

• NUEVAYo
  Lyric: Si te quieres divertir/ con encanto y con primor/ solo tienes que vivir/ un verano en nueva york
  • What is the connection between New York and Puerto Rico?
• LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii
  Lyrics: Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa / Quieren el barrio mío y que abuelita se vaya/ No, no suelte' la bandera ni olvide' el lelolai/ Que no quiero que hagan contigo lo que le pasó a Hawái/
  • Why would Bad Bunny compare Puerto Rico to Hawaii?
• DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
  Lyrics: Debí tirar más fotos de cuando te tuve /Debí darte más beso' y abrazo' las vece' que pude / Ey, ojalá que los mío' nunca se muden
  • This song mentions capturing and preserving moments, specifically taking more pictures of loved ones.
  • Why does Bad Bunny hope his loved ones don’t move? Where are they moving to and why?

Image Source: Rimas Entertainment. Jan. 05, 2025 rimasmusic.com/.

Selecting a topic

Re-reading my list, I can pick one of the three options that interests me the most. Generating a few questions can help you redirect your research if your first choice is a dead end.
My selection:
LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii
Lyrics: Quieren quitarme el río y también la playa / Quieren el barrio mío y que abuelita se vaya/ No, no suelte' la bandera ni olvide' el lelolai/ Que no quiero que hagan contigo lo que le pasó a Hawái/

• Why would Bad Bunny compare Puerto Rico to Hawaii?

In this song, Bad Bunny talks about the river, beach, and neighborhoods being taken away from the Puerto Rican people. The lyrics sound like they are symbolic of the gentrification that Puerto Rico is experiencing and some of the consequences Puerto Ricans must deal with now.

I can continue my research by using these questions and ideas to create some keywords to search for sources on the topic of gentrification in Puerto Rico. Here is a quick list I came up with:

• Gentrification: What is gentrification? How is it affecting Puerto Rico? How do Puerto Rico’s issues compare to those of Hawaii?
• Tourism: what are the benefits and drawbacks for people who live in popular tourist areas?
  

From here, I’ll begin to make a list of keywords I can use in searches for articles and more. Afterwards, I can begin using the PCC Library Website to locate credible sources. I will continue this pattern until I find enough information on my topic.

Below is a short list of sources that I found. You might be required to sign in using your PCC Credentials to view certain links.

• Deluxe squatters in Puerto Rico: The case of la Parguera’s Casetas (Peer-reviewed article)
• Who benefits from international tourism in small Pacific islands? Value capture in the hotel industry in Hawaii (Peer reviewed article)

 
As you can see, this process can be lengthy and messy. It’s more fun and engaging to use a topic you are interested in talking about in an academic setting. Maybe you’ll try this on your next research assignment! (If you do, I encourage you to schedule a research help appointment with one of the PCC librarians for additional help)