A federal judge says only a jury can decide whether reggaeton duo Steely & Clevie invented the genre's signature dembow rhythm.
Bad Bunny performs at Super Bowl LX held at Levi's Stadium on Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif.
Christopher Polk/Billboard
A federal judge is refusing to decide whether reggaeton duo Steely & Clevie invented the genre’s signature dembow rhythm, ruling that only a jury can make that conclusion in a sprawling copyright lawsuit targeting Bad Bunny, Karol G and more than a hundred other artists.
Judge André Birotte Jr. dropped a long-awaited summary judgment ruling on Thursday (July 2) in the long-running case alleging that nearly 2,000 tracks by more than 150 artists copied Steely & Clevie’s 1989 song “Fish Market.” In this first phase of the litigation, Cleveland “Clevie” Browne and the heirs of Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson asked the judge to determine that “Fish Market” was indeed the original, copyrightable source of dembow — the boom-ch-boom-chick percussion that’s now a hallmark of reggaeton.
