1 week ago
2
Safaera, the all Puerto Rican collaboration by Bad Bunny, Jowell & Randy, and Ñengo Flow, has officially joined Spotify’s billion-stream club. It Is Bad Bunny’s 26th song to reach the milestones, the most for any Latin act.
Released on February 29, 2020, as part of Bad Bunny’s album YHLQMDLG, the track immediately distinguished itself with its chaotic, genre-bending structure. Built like a reggaetón symphony, Safaera races through more than eight beat switches, multiple rap flows, and an array of nostalgic samples, including Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” and classic reggaetón and dancehall staples. This intricate production, crafted by Tainy and DJ Orma, helped the song transcend traditional reggaetón formulas, offering a vibrant, unpredictable listening experience that has kept audiences returning again and again.
However, the samples caused copyright claims and in May 2020, Safaera was briefly removed from Spotify due to sample-clearance issues. Bad Bunny acknowledged knowing the reason but avoided discussing it publicly. The song returned the next day after Spotify confirmed the removal was related to sample rights. In a 2022 interview, Jowell said that Missy Elliott requested a very large copyright payment for the sample, and that Rimas founder Noah Assad negotiated a deal in which the performers received only 1% of the profits. Missy Elliott later publicly corrected Jowell on Twitter, stating she actually holds 25% of the song,
In 2023, Bad Bunny and his collaborators reached a “settlement in principle” resolving the lawsuit accusing them of using unlicensed DJ Playero samples in “Safaera.” After a Jan. 17 mediation, lawyers told the judge that a “draft of a settlement agreement has been circulated,” but warned the process would take time because it was “complex” and required approval from “multiple corporate and individual parties.” Hearings were suspended while the settlement is finalized.
The lawsuit had claimed Safaera improperly sampled songs from DJ Playero’s 1990s mixtapes. The case highlighted the track’s intricate construction, which Rolling Stone once described as “a jolting five minutes packed with at least nine beat flips… and samples ranging from Missy Elliott’s ‘Get Ur Freak On’ to Alexis and Fido’s ‘El Tiburón.’”
The complaint also referenced how the song was “briefly removed” from Spotify in May 2020 due to a failure to clear the Missy Elliott sample. She was later added as a songwriter. When Jowell publicly said she “got everything,” Missy Elliott corrected him on Twitter: “Sadly you mislead all these people… I have 25 percent and there is 6 other samples & 15 other writers on this one song.” Jowell replied, “Im cool with my 1 percent… Nothing but love from Puerto Rico to you.” She responded again: “We both in the music business & know how we must clear someone else’s work.”
DJ Playero, whose work was central to the lawsuit, distanced himself from the legal action, writing on Instagram that he preferred to stay out of “scandals.” He expressed pride in having influenced modern reggaetón artists, saying “any award they receive is an award that I receive.” He also clarified, “I do not know that company… and I have no knowledge of that demand.”
Critics embraced the song’s rebellious creativity. Pitchfork labeled it a “technical masterpiece,” praising how it reimagines the genre’s past, while Rolling Stone celebrated its “five minutes of unadulterated chaos.” Fans also propelled it into massive viral success: in early 2020, Safaera exploded on TikTok with trends like the “Safaera Challenge” and the quarantine-fueled “#AbuelaChallenge.” Internationally, the track topped charts in Spain and reached top positions across Latin America and the United States. Despite a brief removal from Spotify due to sample-clearance issues, its momentum never slowed, and the controversy only added to its legend.
English (US) ·