A lawsuit claimed reggae duo Steely & Clevie's 1989 song "Fish Market" originated reggaeton's dembow rhythm, and that 1,800 songs by 160+ artists, including Bad Bunny, Drake, and Karol G, copied it. Freundlich argued the plaintiffs stitched together elements from three separate recordings into a rhythm that never existed in any single song, a "Frankenstein" construction.
The judge had already sent the case to a jury once. This month, he reversed himself and struck down the core claim, gutting the argument that nearly threatened an entire genre's foundational sound.
