For a second, Unhealthy Bunny forgot that he wasn’t in Puerto Rico. Regardless of its residence in a information constructing within the capital of america, the Tiny Desk can — when coloured by the cautious imaginative and prescient of a real artist — take you wherever else, particularly the true origins of the music.
However for the celebrity, Puerto Rico is so beloved and so sacred that he may by no means really neglect it… and he is ensuring the world sees that, too. The island is his supply of inspiration and the mandate for which he wages battle. Flanked by cuatros and congas, Unhealthy Bunny wields the facility of Puerto Ricans who’ve strummed chords and hummed lelolai for generations in efforts to maintain the tradition alive.
After performing “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” San Benito tells a parable a few man drawn to his band rehearsing exterior the White Home. “It is unimaginable,” the person within the story says, “that after 100 years of colonization, you retain your tradition, your language, your tongue, your slang.”
The Puerto Rican flag laid out earlier than him shines; its sensible blue is defiant and fascinating. “They killed individuals for waving the flag,” Unhealthy Bunny sings in “LA MuDANZA.” However there’s such pleasure within the expression and such vibrance within the dance. Even together with his world platform, Benito’s true magic is intimacy: He desires you to fall in love with Puerto Rico. We scream with him: “Yo soy de P f****** R!” Whether or not you might be you are not, your coronary heart will not know the distinction.
SET LIST
- “PIToRRO DE COCO”
- “VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR”
- “KLOuFRENS”
- “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii”
- “LA MuDANZA”
MUSICIANS
- Unhealthy Bunny: vocals
- Luis Sanz: cuatro puertorriqueño, tiple, bordonúa, background vocals
- Fabiola Méndez: cuatro puertorriqueño, tiple, bordonúa, background vocals
- Emanuel Santana: güicharo, Pandero de plena, maracas, background vocals
- Julito Gastón: congas
- Krystal Santana: bass, background vocals
- Luis Amed Irizarry: piano
- Jay Anthony: bongos, percussion
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Anamaria Sayre
- Director/Editor: Kara Body
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Collection Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Body, Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Keren Carrión, Zayrha Rodriguez
- Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
- Manufacturing Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite
- Photographer: Virginia Lozano
- Tiny Desk Collection Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Government Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Collection Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins