Kendrick Lamar & SZA Reach Settlement In "All The Stars" Lawsuit: Report

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SZA and Kendrick Lamar perform onstage during the 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 13, 2018 in Indio, California.
Kendrick Lamar & SZA were accused of biting an artist's paintings in the "All The Stars" music video.

We didn't get a new album from Kendrick Lamar or SZA this year, but they did release one of the hottest songs of 2018, "All The Stars." The song was released as the first single off of the Top Dawg & Kendrick-curated Black Panther: The Album. The two TDE artists were later sued by an artist who accused them of ripping off her work for the song's music video. Despite the legal battles, they settled things right before the holidays.

According to The Blast, Lina Iris Viktor came to an agreement with the artists involved in the "All The Stars" lawsuit to have the case dropped. Court documents were filed on December 21st revealing that all of the claims against Kendrick and SZA as well as other parties have been dismissed.

Viktor accused Kendrick Lamar and SZA of ripping off her art pieces, “Constellations I,” “Constellations II” and “Constellations III," in the "All The Stars" video for "Black Panther." She claimed she previously refused to give them permission to use it after the film's producers requested permission to use the artwork for the film. She claimed they asked if she'd create new artwork for the film as an alternative. She said she denied their request on both occasions. However, they allegedly attempted to recreate her artwork and she sued for copyright infringement.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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