Latest news with #PuertoRicans
Kuwait Times
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
‘Shop local': Bad Bunny brings tourism surge to Puerto Rico
The day before Bad Bunny kicked off his blockbuster residency that's expected to bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Puerto Rico while showcasing its rich culture, he posted a simple message: Shop Local. The ethos is core to his 30-show concert series in San Juan which, after nine performances exclusive to residents, will open up to fans from elsewhere - what many Boricuas, as Puerto Ricans are known, are hoping will serve as an exercise in responsible tourism. 'It's an incredible moment for the island,' said Davelyn Tardi of the promotional agency Discover Puerto Rico. The organization conservatively estimates the residency will bring in some $200 million to Puerto Rico over the approximately three-month run, which falls during the typically less-trafficked summer months. Azael Ayala works at a bar in one of San Juan's popular nightlife zones, telling AFP that business was already booming even though the residency was only in its first weekend. It's 'completely changed,' the 29-year-old said, as crowds buzzed about La Placita where some bars were slinging Bad Bunny-themed cocktails. 'We're thrilled,' Ayala said. 'The tips are through the roof.' The fact that people are coming from across the globe to see Bad Bunny 'is a source of pride for Puerto Rico, too,' he added. Arely Ortiz, a 23-year-old student from Los Angeles, couldn't score a ticket to a show - but said Bad Bunny was still the draw that prompted her to book her first trip to Puerto Rico. 'I really love how outspoken he is about his community,' she said. 'Just seeing him, that he can get so far, and he's Latino, it encourages more Latinos to be able to go for what they want. He has for sure empowered Latinos, like 100 percent.' People sit in front of a mural of Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny at La Placita de Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico.--AFP photos Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs on stage during his 30-concert residency opening at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. People play dominoes outside the Coliseo de Puerto Rico before the first show of Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny's 30-date concert residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This aerial view shows people queing to attend the first show of Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny's 30-date concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. People on their way to the beach walk past a mural of Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, the municipality where he grew up. This aerial view shows people at the beach in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, the municipality where Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny grew up. Puerto Rican influencer Astrid Nahir poses for a photo in front of Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny (left) and Puerto Rican flag murals in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican artist Humberto Olivieri paints a sapo concho (Puerto Rican toad) mural in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Tourism: It's complicated But while tourism has long been an economic engine for the Caribbean island that remains a territory of the United States, the relationship is complicated. Concerns around gentrification, displacement and cultural dilution have magnified on the archipelago beloved for stunning beaches with turquoise waters - especially as it's become a hotspot for luxury development, short-term rentals and so-called 'digital nomads' who work their laptop jobs remotely while traveling the world. Visiting foreigners sample the island's beauty but are shielded from the struggle, say many locals who are coping with a chronic economic crisis exacerbated by natural disasters, as rents soar and massive blackouts are routine. Bad Bunny - who was born and raised Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio - himself has pointed to such issues and more in his metaphor and reference-laden lyrics. 'In my life, you were a tourist,' reads one translation of his track 'Turista.' 'You only saw the best of me and not how I was suffering.' Historian Jorell Melendez Badillo told AFP that Puerto Rico by design has long catered to foreign investment: 'A lot of people see tourism as sort of like this colonial undertone,' he said. But when it comes to Bad Bunny and his residency at the affectionately nicknamed venue El Choli, 'we cannot negate the fact that it's going to bring millions of dollars' to the island, he added. 'We can celebrate what Benito is doing while also looking at it critically, and having a conversation around what type of tourism will be incentivized by this residency.' Ana Rodado traveled to Puerto Rico from Spain after a friend native to the island gifted her a ticket. She booked a five-day trip with another friend that included a visit to beachside Vega Baja, the municipality where Bad Bunny grew up and worked bagging groceries before gaining fame. After posing for a photo in the town square, Rodado told AFP that she'd been trying to take the artist's 'shop local' plea to heart. 'Tourism is a global problem,' she said. 'To the extent possible, we have to be responsible with our consumer choices, and above all with the impact our trip has on each place.' 'We try to be respectful, and so far people have been really nice to us.' Ultimately, Bad Bunny's residency is a love letter to his people - a show about and for Puerto Ricans whose narrative centers on heritage, pride and joy. 'We're here, damn it!' he shouted to ecstatic screams during his sweeping first show, which at times felt like a giant block party. 'I'd come back for the next 100 years - if God lets me, I'll be here.' — AFP
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Puerto Rican centenarian is one of last WWII veterans — and he's telling his story
LUQUILLO, Puerto Rico — Nestled between El Yunque National Forest and the shores of the ocean lives Andrés González Vega, one of the last remaining World War II veterans. Don Andrés, or 'Dede,' as he's affectionately known in his hometown, is 101 years old and one of the nearly 16.4 million soldiers who fought in the war from 1941 to 1945 as part of the U.S. military. Eighty years after the end of the war, less than 1% of all World War II veterans still live. Don Andrés, who is writing a memoir, is one of them. With the help of his daughter, Julia González, Don Andrés is writing a book to document nearly a century of life. González Vega, who still retains the lucidity and memory of a historian, recalls in detail how at age 18 he had to report to Fort Buchanan, in San Juan. After a week of medical and physical evaluations, his name echoed over the camp's loudspeaker. 'I was waiting for that call,' González Vega proudly remarked in his native Spanish. Lined up alongside all the other young Puerto Ricans, González Vega handed in his shoes, socks, pants, underwear and shirt before he left the camp to fight in the war. Having lunch with her father at his home, González said it has been a challenge for her father to write his memoir because Don Andrés 'always likes to talk about the good things," though life has both ups and downs, she said. But González Vega, known as a defender and promoter of Puerto Rican culture, is also acknowledging past struggles and challenges as he talks about his life. Both he and his daughter remember walking down the streets of New York, where they lived for many years, and seeing signs reading, 'Puerto Ricans Go Home.' They also recalled the dozens of times they had to paint over their home after it was tagged with racial slurs like 'Spic Go Home.' The memoir will document Don Andrés' time in the war, his experiences in New York as one of the founders of the iconic National Puerto Rican Day Parade and his accomplishments in Puerto Rico as the creator of the Coconut Festival in Luquillo and a festival coordinator at the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. Eating his favorite chicken wings with tostones, or fried plantains, Don Andrés nostalgically reminisced about the days when most Puerto Ricans walked barefoot through the countryside and fetched water from a well. González Vega, who was born on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques on May 30, 1924, said that as a child, he would cross a river on his way to school and harvest the bananas and avocados he loved to eat with cod. Despite having lived outside Puerto Rico for 29 years, González Vega still considers himself a 'jíbaro,' a rural Puerto Rican who in recent years has become a symbol of Puerto Rican folklore. Known for wearing a distinctive straw hat called 'la pava,' "jíbaros" historically were people who lived in rural Puerto Rico and worked on farms. Today, artists like Bad Bunny, with his latest album, 'DeBÍ TIRAR MáS FOToS,' seek to highlight images and scenes depicting jíbaros like Don Andrés. Going to war Upon completing his military training in the town of Gurabo, González Vega received an order: 'Pack everything up, we're going to leave,' he recalled. Dozens of trucks began picking up the Puerto Rican soldiers and transporting them to San Juan. There, they all boarded a gigantic ship — he had never been on one before. At night, as they set sail, all they could see were the lights of the capital city. 'Goodbye, my beloved Borinquen, goodbye, my land of the sea, I'm leaving, but one day I'll return,' he repeated melancholically, similar to the lyrics of the iconic song 'En Mi Viejo San Juan,' as he recalled the day he left Puerto Rico for the first time. González Vega, alongside thousands of other soldiers, arrived at the Guantánamo Bay military base in Cuba. They stayed there for several days until a naval escort took them to their final destination — Panama, as he recalled the journey there. 'Sometimes the sirens sounded, and they had to turn off all the lights, and everyone had to go down to their cabins and be quiet. Then, they told us there was a German submarine surrounding the ship. We had about three scares in Cuba, not knowing where we were going,' González Vega said. 'I don't know how many days, because the ship was coasting, until we reached Panama.' Upon his arrival in the city of Balboa, in Panama, a group of U.S. soldiers surprised him with coffee and fresh milk after an arduous journey with scarce food. Knowing only a few words of English — which he learned from a popular Puerto Rican children's song from the 1930s created by a bilingual teacher — González Vega crossed the Panamanian jungle to reach his assigned station. Shortly after he arrived, González Vega was promoted to private first class and later to sergeant, overseeing a group of Puerto Rican soldiers. González Vega said that one of his most difficult moments was when his mother, María Vega, was hospitalized with asthma in Puerto Rico. One afternoon at the Panama Canal, he was working on an intense target practice session, so desperate to be with his mother that his head hurt, he said. Minutes later, he was told he had to report to the military airport and was taken to Puerto Rico on the mail plane. Don Andrés cared for his mother until she recovered. Fifteen days later, he returned to the Panama Canal until the end of the war. For his service, Don Andrés received the American Theater Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Facing racism and challenges In 1947, González Vega was part of a wave of Puerto Ricans who migrated to New York for economic reasons. In the city, he unexpectedly ran into one of his friends from Panama. Together, they remembered former World War II colleagues, many of whom later died serving in the Korean War. 'Maybe that [death] would have happened to me, too,' González Vega said. González Vega raised his daughter, Julia, with his wife in the Big Apple. One of his daughter's childhood memories is when she returned from school one day and saw her father painting part of the house after someone had tagged it with an insult: 'Spics Go Home,' they both recounted. At that time, minority groups in the United States faced the racial tensions of the segregation era and the struggle for civil rights. That deeply affected Don Andrés, who saw how a Black person could be sitting in one place and, if a white person arrived, would have to give up the seat immediately, the veteran said. To channel his indignation, González Vega was part of the founding group creating the National Puerto Rican Parade in New York. He remembers how the group pressured the mayor, Robert Wagner, to grant them access to the famous Fifth Avenue for the parade. 'They went to Wagner, 'If you want our vote, we want to march on Fifth Avenue,'' González Vega recalled, who also remembered the many Puerto Ricans who fought to also have voter registration forms in Spanish. "From there, Puerto Rican politics began, with many emerging leaders running for office, and today, you see that," he said. Making crafts, recording memories Don Andrés later returned to Puerto Rico, where he completed his bachelor's degree in business administration and worked as a festival coordinator at the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and founded the Coconut Festival in Luquillo. The father and daughter live 50 feet from each other, in concrete houses surrounded by plants that grow avocados, pigeon peas and plantains. González calls her father every morning to go over the day's errands. After their chat, Don Andrés goes down 12 steps from the second floor of his house to sit in the dining room for breakfast: a glass of hot milk with bananas and oranges. He makes handmade crafts, including traditional Puerto Rican musical instruments like his signature güiros and maracas. When González Vega visits El Yunque to sell his work, he sometimes wonders whether he should stop, as his daughter is the one who helps him carry the heavy table and set up his shop with his handmade instruments. 'I don't want you to stop. I want you to continue,' González said with great emotion. González, who dreams of creating a place that offers Puerto Rican crafts, coffee and wine, said that while she has to make a list to try to remember the things she has to accomplish, "my dad has everything in his mind. I want to continue to do everything in the way he has always done them.' Don Andrés said, 'I thank God for giving me a daughter like Julia, who means everything to me.' Asked whether he has told his whole story, he replied with a smile: 'I haven't told you anything yet.' González Vega continues his days reminiscing about his memories and enjoying the time he has with his daughter while singing his own version of Bad Bunny's hit 'Café Con Ron,' which rhymes in Spanish and loosely translates to 'Coffee in the morning, and in the afternoon ham (jamón), we enjoy everything sitting in the balcony' (balcón). An earlier version of this story was first published in The Latino Reporter, a news website sponsored by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and produced by student members, who cover the organization and its annual conference. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
NBC News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Puerto Rican centenarian is one of last WWII veterans — and he's telling his story
LUQUILLO, Puerto Rico — Nestled between El Yunque National Forest and the shores of the ocean lives Andrés González Vega, one of the last remaining World War II veterans. Don Andrés, or 'Dede,' as he's affectionately known in his hometown, is 101 years old and one of the nearly 16.4 million soldiers who fought in the war from 1941 to 1945 as part of the U.S. military. Eighty years after the end of the war, less than 1% of all World War II veterans still live. Don Andrés, who is writing a memoir, is one of them. With the help of his daughter, Julia González, Don Andrés is writing a book to document nearly a century of life. González Vega, who still retains the lucidity and memory of a historian, recalls in detail how at age 18 he had to report to Fort Buchanan, in San Juan. After a week of medical and physical evaluations, his name echoed over the camp's loudspeaker. 'I was waiting for that call,' González Vega proudly remarked in his native Spanish. Lined up alongside all the other young Puerto Ricans, González Vega handed in his shoes, socks, pants, underwear and shirt before he left the camp to fight in the war. Having lunch with her father at his home, González said it has been a challenge for her father to write his memoir because Don Andrés 'always likes to talk about the good things," though life has both ups and downs, she said. But González Vega, known as a defender and promoter of Puerto Rican culture, is also acknowledging past struggles and challenges as he talks about his life. Both he and his daughter remember walking down the streets of New York, where they lived for many years, and seeing signs reading, 'Puerto Ricans Go Home.' They also recalled the dozens of times they had to paint over their home after it was tagged with racial slurs like 'Spic Go Home.' The memoir will document Don Andrés' time in the war, his experiences in New York as one of the founders of the iconic National Puerto Rican Day Parade and his accomplishments in Puerto Rico as the creator of the Coconut Festival in Luquillo and a festival coordinator at the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. Eating his favorite chicken wings with tostones, or fried plantains, Don Andrés nostalgically reminisced about the days when most Puerto Ricans walked barefoot through the countryside and fetched water from a well. González Vega, who was born on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques on May 30, 1924, said that as a child, he would cross a river on his way to school and harvest the bananas and avocados he loved to eat with cod. Despite having lived outside Puerto Rico for 29 years, González Vega still considers himself a 'jíbaro,' a rural Puerto Rican who in recent years has become a symbol of Puerto Rican folklore. Known for wearing a distinctive straw hat called 'la pava,' "jíbaros" historically were people who lived in rural Puerto Rico and worked on farms. Today, artists like Bad Bunny, with his latest album, 'DeBÍ TIRAR MáS FOToS,' seek to highlight images and scenes depicting jíbaros like Don Andrés. Going to war Upon completing his military training in the town of Gurabo, González Vega received an order: 'Pack everything up, we're going to leave,' he recalled. Dozens of trucks began picking up the Puerto Rican soldiers and transporting them to San Juan. There, they all boarded a gigantic ship — he had never been on one before. At night, as they set sail, all they could see were the lights of the capital city. 'Goodbye, my beloved Borinquen, goodbye, my land of the sea, I'm leaving, but one day I'll return,' he repeated melancholically, similar to the lyrics of the iconic song 'En Mi Viejo San Juan, ' as he recalled the day he left Puerto Rico for the first time. González Vega, alongside thousands of other soldiers, arrived at the Guantánamo Bay military base in Cuba. They stayed there for several days until a naval escort took them to their final destination — Panama, as he recalled the journey there. 'Sometimes the sirens sounded, and they had to turn off all the lights, and everyone had to go down to their cabins and be quiet. Then, they told us there was a German submarine surrounding the ship. We had about three scares in Cuba, not knowing where we were going,' González Vega said. 'I don't know how many days, because the ship was coasting, until we reached Panama.' Upon his arrival in the city of Balboa, in Panama, a group of U.S. soldiers surprised him with coffee and fresh milk after an arduous journey with scarce food. Knowing only a few words of English — which he learned from a popular Puerto Rican children's song from the 1930s created by a bilingual teacher — González Vega crossed the Panamanian jungle to reach his assigned station. Shortly after he arrived, González Vega was promoted to private first class and later to sergeant, overseeing a group of Puerto Rican soldiers. González Vega said that one of his most difficult moments was when his mother, María Vega, was hospitalized with asthma in Puerto Rico. One afternoon at the Panama Canal, he was working on an intense target practice session, so desperate to be with his mother that his head hurt, he said. Minutes later, he was told he had to report to the military airport and was taken to Puerto Rico on the mail plane. Don Andrés cared for his mother until she recovered. Fifteen days later, he returned to the Panama Canal until the end of the war. For his service, Don Andrés received the American Theater Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Facing racism and challenges In 1947, González Vega was part of a wave of Puerto Ricans who migrated to New York for economic reasons. In the city, he unexpectedly ran into one of his friends from Panama. Together, they remembered former World War II colleagues, many of whom later died serving in the Korean War. 'Maybe that [death] would have happened to me, too,' González Vega said. González Vega raised his daughter, Julia, with his wife in the Big Apple. One of his daughter's childhood memories is when she returned from school one day and saw her father painting part of the house after someone had tagged it with an insult: 'Spics Go Home,' they both recounted. At that time, minority groups in the United States faced the racial tensions of the segregation era and the struggle for civil rights. That deeply affected Don Andrés, who saw how a Black person could be sitting in one place and, if a white person arrived, would have to give up the seat immediately, the veteran said. To channel his indignation, González Vega was part of the founding group creating the National Puerto Rican Parade in New York. He remembers how the group pressured the mayor, Robert Wagner, to grant them access to the famous Fifth Avenue for the parade. 'They went to Wagner, 'If you want our vote, we want to march on Fifth Avenue,'' González Vega recalled, who also remembered the many Puerto Ricans who fought to also have voter registration forms in Spanish. "From there, Puerto Rican politics began, with many emerging leaders running for office, and today, you see that," he said. Making crafts, recording memories Don Andrés later returned to Puerto Rico, where he completed his bachelor's degree in business administration and worked as a festival coordinator at the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and founded the Coconut Festival in Luquillo. The father and daughter live 50 feet from each other, in concrete houses surrounded by plants that grow avocados, pigeon peas and plantains. González calls her father every morning to go over the day's errands. After their chat, Don Andrés goes down 12 steps from the second floor of his house to sit in the dining room for breakfast: a glass of hot milk with bananas and oranges. He makes handmade crafts, including traditional Puerto Rican musical instruments like his signature güiros and maracas. When González Vega visits El Yunque to sell his work, he sometimes wonders whether he should stop, as his daughter is the one who helps him carry the heavy table and set up his shop with his handmade instruments. 'I don't want you to stop. I want you to continue,' González said with great emotion. González, who dreams of creating a place that offers Puerto Rican crafts, coffee and wine, said that while she has to make a list to try to remember the things she has to accomplish, "my dad has everything in his mind. I want to continue to do everything in the way he has always done them.' Don Andrés said, 'I thank God for giving me a daughter like Julia, who means everything to me.' Asked whether he has told his whole story, he replied with a smile: 'I haven't told you anything yet.' González Vega continues his days reminiscing about his memories and enjoying the time he has with his daughter while singing his own version of Bad Bunny's hit 'Café Con Ron,' which rhymes in Spanish and loosely translates to 'Coffee in the morning, and in the afternoon ham (jamón), we enjoy everything sitting in the balcony' (balcón).
Int'l Business Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
'Class War': Outsiders Moving To Puerto Rico Trigger Displacement
Gloria Cuevas thought she would live forever in her pink, century-old house on Puerto Rico's west coast -- but then her landlord decided to transform the home into an Airbnb. Cuevas left her home -- now purple and split in two -- and her beloved city for another further south, forced out by the rising cost of living and an explosion of short-term rentals on the US Caribbean island territory. Puerto Rico -- long a draw for sun-worshipping tourists -- is also a hotspot for foreign investment and offers tax incentives to attract outsiders. "At first, I couldn't come back here," Cuevas, 68, told AFP, gazing at the home she once made her own. "It made me feel sad and angry at the same time." Cuevas's experience is becoming an all too familiar tale across the island, where signs promote mansions for sale, and the Airbnb logo is plastered on homes where locals once lived. Intensifying Puerto Rico's gentrification are laws that encourage primarily wealthy mainland Americans to move there in exchange for preferential tax treatment. The program originally enacted in 2012 was meant to spur economic growth and attract investment on the island, an unincorporated territory under US control since 1898. Those relocating must acquire residency and buy property to keep the significant incentives -- but many Puerto Ricans as well as some US lawmakers say this is driving up housing prices and encouraging tax evasion. "Colonialism kills us, it suffocates us," Cuevas said. "It's a global theme. It's a class war." Ricki Rebeiro, 30, moved to San Juan more than a year ago, bringing his packaging and marketing business that services cannabis companies with him. He told AFP that basing his work in Puerto Rico saves his company millions of dollars annually, and that he pays zero personal income tax -- what amounts to the equivalent of "a whole second income" that he says he tries to reinvest locally. "I believe that the locals are probably upset that they're not reaping the same benefits of somebody like me," said the entrepreneur, whose family is based in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma. The system is "unfair," Rebeiro said, "but I also don't believe that I should be the one to blame for that. I didn't structure the program." Puerto Ricans in recent years have slammed their government for what they say is a hyperfocus on outsiders at the expense of locals, as the rich -- including people like the famous content creator-turned-boxer Jake Paul -- move in. In Cabo Rojo, a seaside city about an hour's drive south of Rincon on the island's western coast, some residents are taking the matter into their own hands. During a recent canvassing effort, a group of activists urged their neighbors to protest a massive development project called Esencia, which would transform more than 2,000 acres (810 hectares) of recreational land and more than three miles of beaches into a $2 billion luxury resort and residential development. Dafne Javier's family goes back generations in this area -- her great-grandfather was the last mayor in the municipality under Spanish occupation, and the first under US rule. The 77-year-old said the Esencia project would "totally change the landscape," creating a gated town within a town. Protesters say it would destroy the natural habitat of some endangered species, while exacerbating problems with potable water, electricity supply and trash pick-up. Project investors have called Puerto Rico "one of the most promising growth markets in the world" and vowed Esencia would create "thousands of jobs." But those jobs will be minimum wage, Javier predicted, and the wealthy newcomers "won't mix with us." Christopher Powers is married to a Puerto Rican with whom he has children, and has lived in Cabo Rojo for 20 years. "They have no idea what they're destroying, and if they do have an idea what they're destroying, then they should be ashamed," he told AFP of the developers. "Not only is it ecologically destructive, not only will it be an economic disaster for those of us who live here, but it's also against the sort of spirit or values of the Caborojinos." Cuevas is hopeful her story and others like it will crystallize for her fellow Puerto Ricans what they stand to lose. "We have to keep fighting. We have to educate our youth. Have you heard of Bad Bunny?" she said, referring to the Puerto Rican global superstar whose music and current residency in San Juan has amplified discussion of gentrification and cultural dilution, on the island and beyond. "This is ours," Cuevas said. "We're not going to leave." Construction workers stand in front of a newly remodeled house that will become an Airbnb in Rincon, Puerto Rico AFP The site of the planned mega housing and hotels project Esencia in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico AFP Locals in Cabo Rojo say they have to keep fighting to protect their communities AFP Braulio Quintero (R), who is with a coalition of groups opposing the construction of the mega project Esencia, talks to Mayra Perez Montalvo, 82, about how the project is going to affect the locals in Cabo Rojo AFP Not everyone is happy about the planned luxury development in Cabo Rojo AFP Gloria Cuevas poses in front of her former house in Rincon, Puerto Rico, which has been converted into an Airbnb AFP
NBC News
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Bad Bunny has given Puerto Rico a 'new influence' on the world stage, proud fans say
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — During the first week of Bad Bunny's historic residency, fans sported outfits inspired by Puerto Rican folkloric culture, including straw hats known as 'la pava' and traditional 'jíbaro' attire, reflective of rural Puerto Ricans who worked on farms until the 19th century. The fashion choice is a statement. It's consistent with the theme of his 30-show concert series: 'No me quiero ir de aquí,' which translates to 'I do not want to leave here.' The concerts bring to life the songs on Bad Bunny's sixth studio album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos,' or 'I Should Have Taken More Photos,' which the artist has dubbed as his ' most Puerto Rican' album yet. On it, Bad Bunny sings of his need to stay in Puerto Rico and cherish its people and history. Most of the lyrics speak to Puerto Rico's political realities and cultural legacy. And for Puerto Ricans in the U.S. territory as well as those who live on the U.S. mainland, the focus on their beloved Caribbean archipelago is everything. 'It feels like we're home,' Ivy Torres told NBC News. She and her spouse, Alexis, are among the more than 600,000 people who are expected to visit Puerto Rico this summer to see the show — which is the first formal residency any singer has ever done at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, the biggest indoor entertainment arena on the island, seating over 18,000 people. 'It's a great way to reconnect with your family, friends and everything we left behind,' Alexis said. The couple moved to Ohio from Puerto Rico a decade ago during the height of the economic crisis on the island. 'It was hard,' Ivy said. 'We didn't want to leave our family and friends, but we had to.' Bad Bunny sings about this sentiment in his song 'Lo que le pasó a Hawaii' ('What happened to Hawaii'). The song addresses fears around the erosion of Puerto Rican identity amid an influx of wealthy people from the mainland who have moved there following the passage of tax breaks, as well as a recent rise in short-term rentals that limit affordable housing opportunities for local residents. Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny reached global success singing in Spanish, popularizing Puerto Rican slang across the world and putting a spotlight on the plight of Puerto Rican people. 'He does his music for Puerto Rico' That's why for Puerto Rico resident Verónica González, it 'means everything having a star like Benito singing for us,' she told NBC News. 'He does his music for Puerto Rico, and he thinks about us.' The album and residency effectively take fans on an emotional journey that fuses contemporary genres like reggaeton and dembow with traditional rhythms such as bomba y plena and 1970s salsa music. Inside a restaurant in Old San Juan, Puerto Rican artist and painter Joabel Ortiz has been showing an art exhibit dedicated to Bad Bunny and his latest album. Ortiz mixes traditional symbols of Puerto Rican culture like 'la pava' with images of the superstar — highlighting the through line that connects a present-day cultural phenomenon like Bad Bunny to the roots of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican officials estimate Bad Bunny's residency will have an economic impact of more than $186 million, generating more than 3,600 jobs and resulting in more than 35,000 hotel night bookings. But to his fans, it's Bad Bunny's focus on the people and the essence of what it is to be Puerto Rican that resonates the most. 'We got a new influence to the world,' Ortiz told NBC News. 'That new influence is about our culture, about the ideas we got in the island, and how we do everything, how we speak, how we love, how we remember who we are.'
