What Bad Bunny’s Chart-Topping Salsa Tracks Mean for Latin Music

The accomplishment is impressive considering that salsa’s heyday was in the late ’60s, characterized by icons like Celia Cruz and Willie Colón who solidified the genre as a cornerstone of Latin culture. As University of Pennsylvania professor Jairo Moreno explains, “The history and tale of salsa is one of rise and potential fall, but it has never ceased to exist.” Bad Bunny’s album has brought salsa back into prominence, offering an expansion of the genre and providing Latin Americans with a chance to rediscover, or even be reminded of, their heritage.