Trap Bunny is back.
After shaving his head as a nod to his early days and teasing fans about new music on his Instagram stories, Bad Bunny came through and released the trap album his fans were clamoring for. Following in the footsteps of his last album “Un Verano Sin Ti,” “nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana” (“nadie sabe”) has more than 20 songs that play for well over an hour. However, that’s largely where the similarities stop. “nadie sabe” is unapologetically a trap album, and the album’s second song “MONACO” lets you know what’s coming right away: “trap de galeria” (art gallery trap).
“MONACO” is worth discussing because it is, in my opinion, one of the album’s standout tracks. It opens with a classy violin sample of Charles Aznavour’s 1964 song “Hier encore” before a punchy beat comes in to drive you through the song while violins loop throughout the track. It’s a supremely catchy beat, and the Aznavour sample comes back around with some vocal interludes which separate different sections of the song.
“MONACO” has a braggadocious tone that’s indicative of the whole experience with “nadie sabe.” Bad Bunny spends most of this album in a boastful mood, and “MONACO” is his thesis statement. If you don’t like a rapper bragging about how much money he makes, how many records he sells, how much of a gangster he is and how many women he’s been with, this definitely isn’t for you.
Despite the thematic repetition, Bad Bunny’s trap music pedigree shines through on this album. This album lacks a lot of the versatility Bad Bunny has shown on his previous projects, especially the insanely popular “Un Verano Sin Ti.” It doesn’t have any of the sad reggaeton songs featured on many of his past records, but that’s not what he’s trying to do on this album. He isn’t trying to experiment and make a merengue song or a house track — he’s talking his talk and making music that is going to be blasted at parties and getting people dancing in clubs. There’s no denying he does that expertly on “nadie sabe.”
Another strength of this project comes with the feature list. Some names were throwbacks to Bad Bunny’s rise to fame when he was a regular feature on songs with artists like Bryant Myers and Arcangel. Verses from some more recent reggaeton standouts like Young Miko, YOVNGCHIMI and Feid on the album made for more great appearances.
However, Luar La L’s verse on “TELEFONO NUEVO” stands out as one of the best features on the album. He comes in with a quick flow that forcefully contrasts the slow start to the song, perfectly matching the thumping beat. It’s the kind of verse which makes me want to memorize it so I can rap along.
Eladio Carrión’s appearance on “THUNDER Y LIGHTNING” shows the welcome return of the successful duo with hits like “Kemba Walker” and “Coco Chanel.” Again, the song starts slow before a U.K. drill-style beat kicks in, and Bunny and Carrión start skillfully trading quick verses all the way to the end of the song.
Bad Bunny went back to the trap roots which made him famous all the way back in 2016. His fans were asking for it, and he delivered in style with “nadie sabe.”
Album: “nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana”
Label: Rimas
Favorite tracks: “MONACO,” “PERRO NEGRO,” “TELEFONO NUEVO”
More like this: Eladio Carrión, Young Miko, Myke Towers
Shamrocks: 4.5 out of 5
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