Rising Latin music star Bad Bunny is currently facing a lawsuit from his former girlfriend, Carliz De La Cruz Hernández. De La Cruz has filed a $40 million lawsuit claiming that Bad Bunny used a recording of her voice without permission or compensation in his 2017 single "Pa Ti" and 2022 song "Dos Mil 16." The recording in question is her phrase "Bad Bunny baby," which appears on the chart-topping album "Un Verano Sin Ti." According to the lawsuit, Bad Bunny offered her $2,000 to buy the recording in 2022, but she declined. De La Cruz is now seeking at least $40 million in damages.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, rose to international fame in 2018 after being featured on the Cardi B chart-topper "I Like It." Since then, he has become one of the most prolific hit makers in Latin music, winning two Grammy Awards, and has been the most-streamed artist on Spotify for the past three years. He is set to headline the 2023 Coachella music festival next month.
Bad Bunny has yet to publicly address the lawsuit, which also names his label, Rimas Entertainment, and his manager, Noah Kamil Assad Byrne, as defendants. CNBC has reached out to Rimas Entertainment for comment.