Puerto Rican music phenomenon Bad Bunny is reportedly being sued for $16m (£11.9m) over a voice recording used in two of his tracks.
It was reported by Rolling Stone and Billboard that a suit was filed against the rapper, born Benito Martínez Ocasio, by a woman named Tainaly Y Serrano Rivera, on 5 January in Puerto Rico.
The suit alleges that Rivera’s voice was used without her consent on two Bad Bunny songs: “Solo de Mi” from the 2018 album X100pre, and “EoO” from 2025’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
It is claimed that the catchphrase uttered by Rivera in the audio – “Mira, puñeta, no me quiten el perrero”, which translates roughly to “look, damn it, don’t take away my vibe” – has been used as a wider part of the Bad Bunny brand, including in the selling of merchandise.
The suit also claims that the audio clip has also been played during live performances.
Bad Bunny is currently one of the most popular music artists in the world, and last year topped the charts of most-streamed artists on Spotify.
According to Rivera, she was asked to record the phrase in 2018 by Bad Bunny’s producer La Paciencia (Roberto Rosado), and did not sign a contract at the time.
She claims she was unaware how the recording would be used commercially, and is seeking compensation from the artist and his record label, Rimas Entertainment, for privacy violation and publicity rights.
The Independent has contacted a representative of Bad Bunny for comment.
Bad Bunny is set to be a significant presence at the music industry’s Grammy Awards next month, where he is nominated in six categories.
The rapper is the first Spanish-language artist to garner simultaneous nominations for Album, Song, and Record of the Year.
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His recent album Debí Tirar Más Fotos is only the second Spanish-language record to receive a nomination for Album of the Year, with the first being his 2022 release Un Verano Sin Ti.