bad bunny days like Benito Martínez Ocasio can cost him around $40 million. Ex-girlfriend from before international fame has filed a lawsuit against the Puerto Rican rapper for repeatedly using a voice recording she made years ago.
Carliz De La Cruz Hernandez is the voice behind the famous sound, “Bad bunny, honey.”
According to AP news, Hernández filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in Puerto Rico in March, alleging that her voice and the phrase were being used without her consent.
The announcement, a local media outlet, first broke the story. Carliz is also suing Benito’s manager, Noah Kamil Assad Byrne.
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The rapper used Carliz’s voice recordings in the intros of the two songs and their respective music videos. Bad Bunny released its first song, Pat Ti, in December 2016 and for the second time, Dos Mil 16, in May 2022. On YouTube alone, the 2016 song’s video has more than 358 million views, while the 2022 song’s video has more than 63 million views.
In addition, Hernández claimed Bad Bunny used the recording in “songs, records, promotions, concerts worldwide, television, radio, social media and music background,” according to AP.
When exposed, the lawsuit says “thousands of people” approached Hernández publicly and through social media about the phrase. She says the attention has brought mental distress.
The lawsuit states:
“Since then, thousands of people have commented directly on CArliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes out in public, about ‘Bad Bunny, honey.’ This has caused and is currently leaving De La Cruz feeling anxious, distressed, threatened, overwhelmed and anxious.”
Before the lawsuit: Why Bad Bunny’s Ex Recorded ‘Bad Bunny Baby’
Benito and Carliz are said to have started dating in 2011 before attending the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo. During his time as a student and employee at a local grocery store, Benito’s Bad Bunny star was produced.
While he created the songs and rhythms, Hernández was in charge of scheduling performances as well as overseeing bills and contracts. According to the lawsuit, he often sought out his then-girlfriend’s thoughts on his music.
By 2015, the couple was still strong and the phrase “Bad Bunny Baby” was born. In the same year, Bad Bunny asked Hernández to jot down a phrase she did in a friend’s bathroom and send it to her then-boyfriend.
LA INSPIRACION DE BENITO. Este hilo es con fin de entrener y para hablar sobre una persona que ha sido fuente de inspireción para las letras de Benito, y como él la sigue recordando en sus canciones. Carliz, that’s exnovia. pic.twitter.com/mvMyFu9zij
– v (@vicentetrujllo) July 23, 2019
Their love continued to blossom when Bunny proposed to Hernández on January 1, 2016. Then, life happened. Benito signed with Rimas Entertainment in April 2016 and Carliz was accepted into the University of Puerto Rico law school. By May 2016, she canceled the wedding, planned in July 2016 and ended the relationship.
Although 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 Carliz’s voice recordings for $2,000.
At the time, Hernández said that she turned down the offer but later spoke to someone from Rimas Entertainment, who also offered to buy the recording. They planned to put it in Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti album, released in May 2022. But in the end, representatives of Bad Bunny, his record label, and Carliz never reached an agreement.
However, her voice recordings are still used in Dos Mil 16 tracking and advertising content. As mentioned, Hernández is seeking $40 million for using the recording without her consent.
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny seems to have moved on from their failed relationship. The paparazzi spotted the rapper on at least two group outings with Kendall Jenner, including photos of them kissing.
