Bad Bunny took home Album of the Year at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, an album rooted in reggaeton, Caribbean rhythms, and reflections of his country Puerto Rico. The win marked a historic first for the ceremony, making Bad Bunny the first Latin artist to claim the Grammys’ top prize in its 68-year history. The moment also capped a year in which the Album of the Year category reflected a broader perspective in mainstream music, with rap and hip-hop adjacent records taking up a visible share of the field.
The nominees alongside Bad Bunny included Justin Bieber’s SWAG, Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out, Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, Leon Thomas’ MUTT, and Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA. Together, the slate crossed global pop, veteran rap, experimental hip-hop, and modern R&B, signaling how far genre boundaries have changed at the industry’s highest level.
True to form, Bad Bunny accepted the award primarily in Spanish, centering the moment on migration and identity. “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams,” he says from the stage.
Earlier in the evening, he also won Best Música Urbana for the same album and used his speech to address immigration issues in the United States directly. “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out,” he says. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”
With Album of the Year now reflecting where global audiences already live, Bad Bunny’s win stands as both a personal milestone and a turning point for Latin music at the industry’s biggest stage.
