Jay-Z is one of the most profitable faces in not only the hip-hop world but also in pop culture. The billionaire rap mogul is known for his keen business eye and even more impressive business portfolio. The Roc Nation founder recently unveiled his very own cannabis brand Monogram right as talks of federal decriminalization have become noisier.
He recently even landed a deal to produce 900k pounds worth of product for the cannabis line. Clearly, Hov knows how to hustle. Unfortunately for one photographer trying to get his hustle on too, Jay wasn't having it. TMZ reports that the mogul is suing the photographer who shot his debut album cover for using his likeness to generate revenue.
According to the publication, Jay is suing Jonathan Mannion and his company, Jonathan Mannion Photography LLC, claiming Mannion was exploring Jay's name and image without his permission. In documents obtained by TMZ, Jay explains that Mannion has his name and likeness pictured all over his website, and additionally sells photos of the mogul for thousands of dollars.
Mannion shot the black and white cover art for Jay's debut album Reasonable Doubt back in 1996. The problem in the lawsuit, however, is Jay never gave Mannion permission to use his likeness to make a profit. He further claims in the suit that when he asked Mannion to stop using his image, the photographer demanded tens of millions of dollars.
Jay and his team explain in the suit that Mannion is making an "arrogant assumption that because he took those photographs, he can do with them as he pleases.”
Jay says Mannion took hundreds of photos in 1996 after he was hired to shoot the cover. He furthers that Roc-A-Fella used some of the pics and Mannion was paid handsomely for them.
Jay claims it's "ironic that a photographer would treat the image of a formerly-unknown Black teenager, now wildly successful, as a piece of property to be squeezed for every dollar it can produce. It stops today.” The rapper is suing Mannion to stop selling the pictures instantly and also wants him to cough up any of the profits he's made off using his likeness.
Of course, we'll keep you updated with any new information regarding the suit.
[via]