Bad Bunny, the most streamed artist on Spotify for 2020-2022, is being sued by his ex-girlfriend, who’s accusing the musician of using audio recordings from voice notes that she left him on two of his hit songs.
The Puerto Rican rapper, whose government name is Benito Martínez Ocasio, is being sued by his ex-girlfriend Carliz De La Cruz Hernández in the court of Puerto Rico for allegedly using her catchphrase “Bad Bunny baby” in a voiceover sample on his 2017 song Pa Ti and last year’s Dos Mil 16.
De La Cruz claims that she recorded the voice note several times before she sent over the recording to Ocasio who then sampled it on his Soundcloud (where users can stream music for free) before he hit it big in the mainstream.
Before the release of Bad Bunny’s 2022 album Un Verano Sin Ti, De La Cruz alleges that she was offered $2,000 for the rights to the recording, which she did not accept, but the album was released with her voice anyway.
“This has caused, and currently causes, De La Cruz to feel worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious,” the lawsuit states, claiming that De La Cruz is often harassed by fans, foes, and users on social media (and in person) in reference to the voice recordings. “The situation for De La Cruz became unmanageable, to the point that she needed to contact multiple psychologists for help as soon as possible.”
De La Cruz is currently seeking $40 million in compensation.
Bad Bunny’s label Rimas Entertainment and his manager Noah Assad are also listed as defendants in the case. Ocasio’s camp has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
The allegations come at a historic time for the musician — he is set to be the first-ever Latin artist to headline Coachella in April.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Bad Bunny is worth an estimated $40 million.
