Vogue owner Condé Nast has sued Drake and 21 Savage over a fake magazine cover used to promote their new album “Her Loss”.
The company claimed that the rapper’s promotional campaign for “Her Loss” was “built entirely on the use of Vogue labels and the premise that Drake and 21 Savage will appear on the cover of the next issue of Vogue,” according to a complaint filed on Monday in federal court in Manhattan. “It’s all wrong. And Condé Nast didn’t say any of it.”
Condé Nast and Drake representatives did not immediately respond diverseComment request.
Condé Nast also alleged that the rapper created and distributed fake versions of Vogue which were distributed in “the largest metropolitan areas in North America,” along with the fake cover posters. Those magazines included a photoshopped collage of Drake with young Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Drake posted photos of the fake magazine cover on his Instagram account, writing “My brother and I are on newsstands tomorrow!! Thank you @voguemagazine and Anna Wintour for the love and support at this historic moment. Her loss on November 4th”.
The legal documents further asserted that Wintour “has no role in her ‘lost’ or promotion”, nor endorsed it in any way, adding that the result was ‘unmistakable’ confusion among the public, including the media who had expected Drake and 21 Savage’s “New Cover Stars” for Vogue.
Condé Nast had been in contact with both rappers in the weeks leading up to the release of “Her Loss,” but the lawsuit alleges that “the gross disregard for Condé Nast’s rights left her no choice but to initiate this proceeding.”
The global media company is seeking at least $4 million in damages – or tripling the defendants’ earnings from the “fake” album and magazine. They are also demanding removal of fake magazine images from social media and rapper websites, punitive damages and an end to any other trademark infringement.
Vogue was just one of the many fake press clips and interviews that circulated in the week before “Her Loss.” The duo made mock appearances on “The Howard Stern Show” and “Tiny Desk” on NPR, although both media giants appeared to be enjoying the attention.
“Drake has done such a good job that news outlets are reporting it like it’s real, and that’s kind of weird in our lives right now,” Stern commented during his Monday show. NPR published a file news story On their official website they state that they are open to this possibility.
Drake and 21 Savage also performed a mock “Saturday Night Live” for OnBS, which was shared on Instagram and YouTube on November 6. The performance included an introduction by actor Michael B. Jordan, who pretended to be the “SNL host” while delivering the performance.
The fake promotional cycle appears to be showing no signs of slowing down as she also performed a fake “COLORS” performance for “Privileged Rappers” on Monday night.
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