'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Bad Bunny, aka Benito Antonio Ocasio, is the first Spanish-language artist to headline the Coachella festival in 2023. From 2020 to 2023, he consecutively topped the record for most streams in a year on Spotify, as per Billboard. However, in 2023, the Puerto Rican singer faced a massive lawsuit by Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, his ex-girlfriend. The singer's ex-girlfriend reportedly sued him for two of his hit singles, Pa Ti and Dos Mil 16.
According to the lawsuit, Benito used the recording of Carliz's voice without permission or compensation. In the lawsuit filed for $40 million in compensation, De La Cruz also sued Benito's record label Rimas Entertainment and manager Noah Assad. Bad Bunny's team did not have an official comment on the lawsuit, and it is unclear if Benito had to give De La Cruz $40 million.
Why was Bad Bunny sued for $40 million?
Benito's song Pa Ti has over 390 million views on YouTube, and Dos Mil 16 has over 80 million views. The latter song featured in Un Verano Sin Ti, a chart-topping album and Benito's fourth studio album. It also became the first album by a Latin artist to reach 10 billion streams on Spotify, per Billboard.
Trending
The rapper and music producer was sued by his ex-girlfriend, Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, who claimed that her voice recording had been used in both songs. The two reportedly dated from 2011 to 2016. De La Cruz specified that she had recorded the catchphrase 'Bad Bunny Baby' on her phone in 2015, before their breakup in 2016. She reportedly recorded several versions of saying the phrase in a friend's bathroom using the Voice Notes app.
According to court documents, the line and De La Cruz's "distinguishable voice" appear in both Pa Ti and Dos Mil 16, per CNN News.
The lawsuit stated that the use of De La Cruz's without permission is a violation of Puerto Rico's 'law of the right to own image.' Her lawyers reported that it has impacted her mental health and caused her to feel "worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed, and anxious." They explained in the statement,
“Thousands of people have commented directly on Carliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes to a public place, about ‘Bad Bunny baby’.”
Carliz's lawyers further emphasized that the situation became "unmanageable" for her and she had to seek the support of "multiple psychologists." Her lawyers also claimed that days before Benito's album Un Verano Sin Ti (2022) came out, his representatives offered to buy the rights to the line from her for $2,000. Carliz claimed that she refused the money, and the album was released with her voice in it. Bad Bunny and his legal team had not publicly addressed the lawsuit, and it is unclear if it was settled.
Bad Bunny rose to prominence in 2018 with I Like It, a hit collaboration with Nicki Minaj. He has since released four studio albums, including the award-winning Un Verano Sin Ti. While it has not been publicly released if Carliz and Benito's lawsuit was settled, both Pa Ti and Dos Mil 16 have been critically acclaimed and have millions of streams on YouTube and Spotify.
