Bad Bunny’s Tiny Desk Is Pure Puerto Rico

History has been made. After years of waiting, Bad Bunny finally showed up at the iconic Tiny Desk Concert series, and he brought all of Puerto Rico with him, for real! The moment Benito walked into the NPR headquarters in Washington D.C., sat down at a tiny little school desk, and started singing “Pitorro de Coco” with a live band full of boricuas, it was game over.

Three months after dropping his tropical and super Puerto Rican album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, Benito Martínez Ocasio gave fans a show like no other, one that felt cozy, cultural, funny, and 100% him. With cuatros, congas, bongos, and a full lineup of talented Puerto Rican musicians backing him up, this concert wasn’t just music. It was a statement. It was a vibe. It was Benito doing what he does best: being real.

El “Tiny Desk” de Bad Bunny disponible mañana pic.twitter.com/R21W1BciC2

— Indie 505 (@Indie5051) April 6, 2025

From the start, he kept it honest. “Jurado no sabía que iba a ver tanta gente aquí… y mucho menos puertorriqueños,” he said, laughing, while sipping coffee. “La próxima canción es pa’ que, no sé cuántos van a Puerto Rico, llevarlos pa’ allá.” Then came “Voy a llevarte pa PR,” full of plena energy and nostalgia. You could feel he meant it.

Every track felt different, like he was letting us into his own living room. He did a bolero version of “Kloufrens” and cracked jokes about the tiny desk he was sitting at. “Yo no sé de quién fue la idea de ponerme este pupitre,” he said, shaking his head. “Fue idea mía y me estoy arrepintiendo.”

Then things got deep. He talked about how “Lo que le pasó a Hawaii” came to him in a dream. “Es una canción que soñé. Yo estaba durmiendo y me tuve que levantar a escribir toda la canción. Nunca me había pasado así. Traté de seguir durmiendo, pero la canción no me dejaba.” That’s how real the music is for him: it doesn’t even let him sleep.

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Before singing it, he told a funny story about rehearsing with his band outside the White House. Some guy came up to them and said, “Está cabrón. Son más de 100 años de coloniaje, y ustedes siguen manteniendo su cultura, su idioma, su jerga.” Benito laughed, not sure if the dude was messing with him or not. “Y nosotros dijimos ‘Gracias’. No sabía si estaba jodiendo conmigo.”

But the most emotional part came when he introduced the salsa track “La mudanza.” He said, “La próxima canción no es ni una canción… no es una película, es de verdad. Creo que mi historia viene del mismo lugar de la que viene la de muchos de nosotros. Es por eso que estamos aquí. Todos los aquí presentes somos puertorriqueños, puertorriqueñas. Entonces nos sentimos muy orgullosos de poder representar y poder llevar nuestra música y nuestra cultura al mundo entero.”

By the end of the set, after sharing personal stories, cracking jokes, and singing his heart out, Bad Bunny and his band sang the line that had everyone screaming: “¡yo soy de P f–king R!” And just like that, he closed with a quick, unplanned version of the album’s title track “DTMF.”

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It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t overproduced. It wasn’t even super polished. But that’s what made it so special. It was all heart. All Benito. All Puerto Rico. And the internet? Lost its mind.

Here are some of our favorite reactions from Twitter (yes, we still call it Twitter):

Me watching Bad Bunny’s Tiny Desk singing about Puerto Rico being freed from American colonization while also celebrating our beautiful culture pic.twitter.com/uuezJZe0va

— GianCULO Stanton Fan Club (@bruja_aj) April 7, 2025

Seated for bad bunny tiny desk MI GENTE LATINOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/JAOaq8lsME

— amandaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (@outmycoma) April 7, 2025

El Tiny Desk de Bad Bunny demostró, una vez más, como ya hace rato despegó del género urbano y está jugando en su propia liga musical. ‍

pic.twitter.com/V2LXnsWVvz

— Juan Sanva (@juansanvaa) April 7, 2025

Te quiero mucho Bad Bunny diciendo a medio tiny desk “I was supposed to speak english here?” pic.twitter.com/fR1MeVaPxD

— cosmic dancer (@Cocainelol) April 7, 2025

In less than 24 hours, the video already hit 3 million views. Not surprised. This one is going to live in our heads and hearts, for a long time.