Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend, Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, sued the rapper for $40 million over his use of a recording she made before he was famous. De La Cruz claims her recording of the phrase “Bad Bunny, baby” was used in two of Bad Bunny’s songs without her permission. She filed the lawsuit in Puerto Rico court earlier this month.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio, and De La Cruz began dating in 2011. They also studied at the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo while working at a grocery store together. During this time, Bad Bunny sought opinions and ideas from De La Cruz for his music, the lawsuit claims. She adds that she scheduled his parties and handled his contracts early in his career.
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In 2015, Bad Bunny asked De La Cruz to record herself saying “Bad Bunny, baby,” she claims. She recorded it in a bathroom and then sent it to him. De La Cruz claims they planned to marry in July 2016, but those plans were scuttled after Bad Bunny scored a record contract with Rimas Entertainment. De La Cruz was accepted by the University of Puerto Rico’s law school, and the couple split in May 2016, according to the lawsuit. They reunited in 207, but soon split again. De La Cruz is an attorney, according to her Instagram page. She has over 160,000 followers but does not allow comments on her photos.
The phrase “Bad Bunny, baby” was used in the songs “Pa Ti,” which has over 355 million views on YouTube, and “Dos Mil 16,” according to the lawsuit, reports the Associated Press. “Pa Ti” has 235 million plays on Spotify since its release in 2017. “Dos Mil 16,” which was released last year on Bad Bunny’s album Un Verano Sin Ti, has 280 million plays on Spotify. De La Cruz alleges that her “distinguishable voice” was used without her permission in songs, records, promotions, concerts, television, radio, and other 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,’” the lawsuit, first reported by Noticel, reads. “This has caused, and currently causes, that De La Cruz feels worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed, and anxious.” She also listed Bad Bunny’s manager, Noah Kamil Assad Byrne, as a defendant.
De La Cruz claims one of Bad Bunny’s representatives reached out to her in May 2022. “In that call, (the representative) said, ‘I know you don’t like to talk about Voldemort (referring to Martínez), but I need to ask you something,” the lawsuit reads. The rep offered De La Cruz $2,000 to buy the recording, but she declined. Another rep from Bad Bunny’s label offered to buy the recording since it was set to be used in “Dos Mil 16.” The two sides never reached a deal, but the song was still released with the recording, the lawsuit notes.
After breaking up with De La Cruz, Bad Bunny began a relationship with Gabriela Berlingeri. She is a photographer. She became the first Latina to shoot a Rolling Stone cover when Bad Bunny appeared on the May 2020 cover. Bad Bunny never publicly described his relationship with Berlingeri as romantic, but his fans believed it was. More recently though, Bad Bunny has been seen hanging out with Kendall Jenner, leading to speculation that they are now dating.
