This September, Yale University will introduce an innovative course examining the musical and cultural significance of global superstar Bad Bunny. Titled “Bad Bunny: Musical Aesthetics and Politics,” the class will explore how the Puerto Rican artist’s work reflects themes of identity, migration, and resistance within the Puerto Rican diaspora. The course will be taught by Albert Laguna, an associate professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration.
Laguna developed the curriculum after being deeply moved by Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. While walking through New Orleans, he found the album’s emotional and cultural layers revealing connections to broader historical and social struggles. Each song, he noted, offered a gateway to understanding colonial legacies and modern-day resilience.
The course will analyze the cultural roots of Spanish Caribbean music—including bomba, plena, salsa, and reggaeton—and how these genres embody histories of migration, survival, and defiance. One key focus is the track “NUEVAYoL,” which samples El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico’s “Un Verano en Nueva York.” Laguna highlights the song as a powerful lens into Puerto Rico’s evolving relationship with New York City and its diaspora communities.
Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, which topped the Billboard 200 upon its release, features collaborations with artists like RaiNao, Los Pleneros de la Cresta, and Chuwi. The album critiques gentrification and the exploitation of Puerto Rican culture while celebrating the island’s enduring vitality.
“Reggaeton,” Laguna explains, “can’t be separated from colonial legacies or the local politics of policing and resistance.”
The course has already garnered strong interest, with 44 students enrolled as of April 21. For many, like Yale sophomore Juli Martinez, Bad Bunny’s music has been personally transformative, so much so that she wrote about him in her college application. First-year student Aiden Tumminello views the class as an opportunity to explore Puerto Rican identity through an artist who challenges norms, while Diego Paz sees it as part of academia’s growing recognition of popular music as a vessel for cultural memory and defiance.