Puerto Rican rapper, Bad Bunny seems to be in another legal drama, as his ex-girlfriend from way back before he became famous has filed a forty-million dollars’ lawsuit against him for repeatedly using a voice recording she made years ago.
Carliz De La Cruz Hernandez, whose “Bad Bunny, baby” recording was included in two of the artiste’s songs, claimed in the lawsuit filed this month in a Puerto Rico court that her voice and the phrase she came up with are being used without her consent.
According to the lawsuit, Bad Bunny used Carliz’s voice recording in the intros of two songs and their respective music videos. Bad Bunny released the first song, ‘Pa Ti’, in December 2016 and the second, ‘Dos Mil 16’, in May 2022. On YouTube alone, the video for the 2016 track has over three hundred and fifty-eight million views, while the 2022 track’s video has over sixty-three million views.
The lawsuit further states that De La Cruz’s distinguishable voice also has been used without her consent for songs, records, promotions, worldwide concerts, television, radio, and social and musical platforms.
Since then, thousands of people have commented directly on Carliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes to a public place, about the ‘Bad Bunny, baby.’ This has caused, and currently causes, that De La Cruz feels worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious.
Just so you know, Bad Bunny whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio and Carliz reportedly began dating in 2011 before attending the University of Puerto Rico. During their time as students and employees at a local grocery store, Bad Bunny’s stardom was brewing.
While he created songs and rhythms, she was in charge of scheduling gigs and overseeing invoices and contracts. He often, according to the lawsuit, sought his then-girlfriend’s thoughts on his music.
By 2015, the relationship was still going strong, and the “Bad Bunny Baby” phrase came about. Within the same year, Bad Bunny asked Carliz to record the phrase, which she did inside a friend’s bathroom and sent to him.
Their love continued to flourish, with Bad Bunny asking Carliz to marry him. They however made plans to do so in July 2016, but in April 2016, Rimas Entertainment signed him. That same year, Carliz got accepted into the University of Puerto Rico’s law school, and by May 2016, she called off their wedding plans and ended the relationship.
Though they reconciled in 2017, it didn’t last long. But then, a representative for Bad Bunny contacted Carliz in May 2022 with an offer to buy the recording of her voice for two thousand dollars.
At the time, Carliz says she declined the offer but later spoke to someone from Rimas Entertainment, who also offered to buy the recording.
They planned to include it in Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti album, released in May 2022. But, ultimately, Bad Bunny’s representative, his label, and Carliz never settled on a deal.
See the video below for more!
