Bad Bunny fears Puerto Rico will become the new Hawaii. He's not alone.

• Bad Bunny just released his new album, "Debir Tirar Mas Fotos," last month.
• It showcases classic folk music from the artist's hometown of Puerto Rico.
• The song's lyrics address the issue of gentrification in Puerto Rico and highlight its similarity to Hawaii.

Pure sandy beaches, vibrant green rainforests, and sparkling blue waters that extend as far as the eye can see.

has a different view.

Ranked number one on Billboard's Top 200 chart, he has consistently been one of the most played artists on streaming platforms like Spotify for several years.

It shows that Bunny no longer relies on reggaeton to dominate the charts, Nuria Net, a Latin music and culture journalist, told Business Insider.

Syllabus, told BI.

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A symbol of displacement

a question that the island has been grappling with for more than a century.

Similar to Hawaii, Puerto Rico was absorbed into the United States in the late 19th century. In contrast to Hawaii, however, which later became a fully-fledged state, Puerto Rico remains a territory with limited voting rights in the US.

"There was a common tendency of comparing things," said Daniel Nevárez Araújo, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras and coauthor of "The Bad Bunny Enigma: Culture, Resistance, and Uncertainty," recalling his childhood.

For those who support statehood, Hawaii was often cited as a "model example of what Puerto Rico should be — a symbol of progress and full American integration."

But the comparison has become more complex in recent years, Illeana Rodriquez-Silva, an associate professor of Latin American and Caribbean history at the University of Washington in Seattle, stated to Business Insider.

This natural disaster destroyed tens of thousands of homes in 2017 and forced approximately 130,000 people to relocate.

They brought in investment and entrepreneurial spirits, purchasing real estate and land, Rodriguez-Silva mentioned.

"That's when I began hearing, 'we're going to be like Hawaii,'" she said. "And what they are referring to is this point in American history in the late 19th century when white American elites were able to come into Hawaii and actually take control of the land she added.

Puerto Ricans began to feel the effects of gentrification when outsiders, who treated their islands like theme parks, drove up the cost of living, according to Nevárez Araújo.

He noted that if you look at Rincon, Aguada, and Mayagüez, as well as Aguadilla, there are a large number of expats moving here and buying properties. On the other hand, locals are finding it difficult to afford basic necessities like groceries.

Nevárez Araújo stated that Bad Bunny is expressing worries that the island is "being drained slowly" and becoming a place that is no longer suited for Puerto Ricans.

Tempered optimism

On "What Happened in Hawaii," Bunny calls on Puerto Ricans to hold on to their flag and not forget their heritage.

It's a stark warning, but in "subverting the narrative" that the island should strive for a similar status to that of Hawaii, Net said it offers a source of hope and pride for Puerto Ricans who have grappled with a "persistent feeling that no matter what we do, it's never good enough."

Rivera-Rideau stated that the song also reflects the political attitude of a new wave of Puerto Ricans, who, like Bunny, grew up witnessing the island's difficulties,get worse and now aspire for change.

She said concerns about electricity and infrastructure, gentrification, tourism, the economy, opportunities, and growth for the future coincide with worries many Puerto Ricans have.

According to Rivera-Rideau, events such as the ousting of Puerto Rico's previous governor, Ricardo Rosselló, following mass protests, have demonstrated that "young adults are really energized."

In "Marketing Puerto Rico," Bunny runs the risk of attracting more mainland Americans, people who listen to the music simply because they find it "exotic" and catchy, Nevárez Araújo warned.

"For many young Puerto Ricans, 'Debir Tirar Mas Fotos' is the most a lot of them will be able to say out loud about their concerns and worries about the island's future," he stated.

Some TikTok users have been posting pictures and videos of people and places they've lost, all set to the album's title track. This shows that Bunny's music is reaching people on the island and even beyond its borders.

Many of these songs are telling a story about being displaced," Rodriquez-Silva said. "That's something that's really relatable to many of us nowadays.

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