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NewsLos Angeles Times — EntertainmentOctober 26, 2026Los Angeles County

Puerto Rican band Chuwi releases debut LP 'Libertad' following breakout collaboration with Bad Bunny

Photo: Los Angeles Times — Entertainment

Puerto Rican quartet Chuwi released their debut LP titled 'Libertad,' completing a sociopolitical trilogy that explores Caribbean folk genres and historical activism. The album launch follows a surge in the band's popularity driven by their feature on Bad Bunny's 2025 album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos.'

MusicCultureCaribbean MusicPuerto RicoHistory
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Why It Matters

The release brings underground Caribbean rhythms and politically charged themes to a mass international audience following millions of new streams.

Key Facts

  • The Puerto Rican band Chuwi released their debut LP, 'Libertad', on October 15.
  • The album's title and cover art reference a historical message written in blood by Bolívar Márquez during the 1937 Ponce Massacre.
  • Chuwi gained international attention after being featured alongside Bad Bunny on the 2025 Grammy-winning album 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos'.
  • The band's collaboration with Bad Bunny drove their monthly streams from a few thousand to 6 million and landed them an NPR Tiny Desk concert.
  • 'Libertad' completes a trilogy that includes previous EPs 'Pan' (2022) and 'Tierra' (2024), forming the Popular Democratic Party slogan 'pan, tierra, libertad'.
  • While past projects focused on Puerto Rican and Dominican music, 'Libertad' incorporates Cuban folk rhythms such as reparto, timba, guaguancó, and abakuá.
  • Guest artists Wampi and Daymé Arocena contributed to the album from Cuba.
  • Percussionist Adrián López makes his vocal debut as a singer on the track 'Aquí Lo Mío No Es Tuyo'.
  • The album closes with 'P.T.L.', a stylized cover of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' featuring cuatro guitarist José Santana.

Who's Mentioned

PersonAdrián López“Percussionist and band member of Chuwi”PersonWester Aldarondo“Band member of Chuwi”PersonBolívar Márquez“Victim of the Ponce Massacre who wrote a final message in blood”PersonBad Bunny“Artist who featured Chuwi on his album and world tour”PersonPedro Albizu Campos“Nationalist Party leader whose incarceration was protested in 1937”PersonDaymé Arocena“Guest artist from Cuba on the album”PersonLorén Aldarondo“Band member of Chuwi”locationCuba“Country whose folk rhythms influenced the album 'Libertad'”PersonBlanton Winship“U.S.-appointed Governor of Puerto Rico during the 1937 Ponce Massacre”locationPonce“Southern Puerto Rican town where the 1937 massacre occurred”PersonCarlos Romero Barceló“Former pro-statehood governor of Puerto Rico whose speech is sampled”PersonWampi“Guest artist from Cuba on the album”PersonLuis Muñoz Marín“First democratically-elected governor of Puerto Rico and founder of the Popular ”locationAguadilla“Location of Chuwi's studio”PersonJosé Santana“Cuatro guitarist featuring on the album's closer”OrganizationChuwi“Puerto Rican band releasing their debut LP 'Libertad'”locationLos Angeles“City where Bad Bunny lived while listening to Chuwi”locationDominican Republic“Country whose musical styles influenced Chuwi's previous EP 'Tierra'”PersonWilly Aldarondo“Band member of Chuwi”locationPuerto Rico“Island territory and origin of the band Chuwi”