© 2025 Hawaiʻi Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bad Bunny song about Hawaiʻi sparks conversation about displacement, overtourism

FILE - Bad Bunny performs during “The Most Wanted Tour” at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP, File)
Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP
/
Invision
FILE - Bad Bunny performs during “The Most Wanted Tour” at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP, File)

A Spanish-language album is topping the charts this week. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny released a new album that includes the track "LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii," a song with a prominent reference to the islands.

The title translates to “What happened to Hawaiʻi,” and the lyrics compare issues shared by Puerto Rico and Hawaiʻi, like the displacement of locals and overtourism.

Rudy Guevarra Jr. is a professor of Asian Pacific American studies at Arizona State University, and the author of “Aloha Compadre,” a history of Latinos in Hawaiʻi.

An image of Rudy Guevarra Jr., a professor of Asian-Pacific American studies at Arizona State University.
Rudy Guevarra Jr.
Rudy Guevarra Jr. is a professor of Asian-Pacific American studies at Arizona State University.

He said that he was thrilled when the song came out because it speaks to larger conversations about certain groups who have been impacted by white supremacy, colonialism, imperialism and more.

"I think music is an excellent way to disseminate this kind of information because it reaches a much wider audience than books and articles — and it's a great song. Hopefully, there's more of these types of songs that come out to sort of inform what's going on and to just sort of give us a reminder of our past and cautionary tales of how we can be better and do better," he said.

The main message of the song is not to let what happened to Hawaiʻi happen to Puerto Rico, regarding tourism, colonization and gentrification.

"Those are the sort of messages and sort of how when people leave, how sometimes they can't come back," he said. "That's been the story for many migrants that have gone abroad. And what does that mean for the people who stayed in those conversations? I think it's a really great way to sort of set that all up and sort of see because Puerto Ricans were a part of Hawaiʻi's history, and continue to be, starting in the, at the turn of the 20th century."

Guevarra said that the idea of corporations buying large areas of land and wealthy people buying second properties leads to gentrified communities and displacement — one of the themes of modern-day colonialism shared in the song.

"I think him speaking about Hawaiʻi is really where you see this really take shape. And then it's happened to Puerto Rico, also to a lesser extent, but it could be to the extent that it happened in Hawaiʻi. I think that is sort of his thing — for people to see that in Puerto Rico, but also Puerto Ricans in the diaspora, that this is what's going on," Guevarra said.

He said that gentrification is changing various parts of Puerto Rico, and not for the better.

"A lot of people have moved there who have means and wealth, while those who, you know, for example, were affected by the hurricanes. Many, you know, stayed, but many also left. Then that void, people with means come in and then take over and then raise the prices of property and land value, all this stuff," he said.

Wailuku Plantation, Maui, fields and workers who have been loading cane.
Hawaiʻi State Archives
Wailuku Plantation, Maui, fields and workers who have been loading cane.

One of the reasons Bad Bunny's song has resonated with many in Hawaiʻi is because of the history of Puerto Ricans coming to the islands.

Guevarra shared that the story of Puerto Ricans in Hawaiʻi started in 1901 when a hurricane swept through Puerto Rico, leaving many without work. Some fled to Hawaiʻi to work on the sugar and pineapple plantations.

He said the biggest wave of Puerto Ricans who came to the islands was 5,000. However, the migrants were treated poorly as the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association didn't deliver on their promises.

"They made the community and the life that they had with other Puerto Ricans in Hawaiʻi. But also through all the intermarriages and community, the larger community, that they've become a part of with Native Hawaiians and other locals. I think that's something that is still, what you see still resonating today," he said.

He shared that there is also a connection between Hawaiʻi and Puerto Rico being highly militarized.

"They see the connections and a lot of the sovereignty movements and a lot of the cultural movements sort of occurring in many overlaps and coalitions between the two supporting each other. It's because they saw as being part of under U.S. imperialism — seeing how both places or sites were treated, how its people were treated, how the land was treated, the water, the air, everything," he said.

Guevarra urged people to listen to the new Bad Bunny song and also understand the message and the history conveyed through the lyrics.

"It's also a lesson on how to be a better human being and seeing each other's humanity. And in doing so, you can understand the plight of folks and want to do your part so that there aren't these repeats of history and circumstances that happen in places, that those things can be minimized, if not eliminated over time. Music is a wonderful vehicle to do that with. I look forward to hearing more songs of this nature, because not only did it sound good, but it also has a meaningful message," he said.


This interview aired on The Conversation on Jan. 22, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. Tori DeJournett adapted this story for the web.

Updated: January 24, 2025 at 3:44 PM HST
Changed the translation of the song title from “What happened in Hawaiʻi” to “What happened to Hawaiʻi.”
Maddie Bender is the executive producer of The Conversation. She also provided production assistance on HPR's "This Is Our Hawaiʻi" podcast. Contact her at mbender@hawaiipublicradio.org.
Related Stories