Cardi B gets into heated argument with lawyer over $5 million copyright-infringement case

Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B had a heated exchange on Wednesday with the lawyer of a man who allegedly claimed that the rapper misused his likeness for her sexually suggestive mixtape cover art.

Cardi B battled with Kevin Michael Brophy’s lawyer, A. Barry Cappello, about his allegation in a $5 million copyright-infringement lawsuit in a federal court in Southern California. As per ABC news, Brophy claims that he did not consent to such a use of his likeness in the 2016 artwork – which showed a tattooed man from behind with his head between the rapper’s legs.

Cardi B's fight with lawyer

But Cardi B pointed out that the man’s face cannot be seen. Cappello asked the rapper to calm down, but she barked back at his sentiment that she knew about the photo-editing software that was used to put the back tattoo – which has appeared in tattoo magazines – onto the male model used in the mixtape cover.

“It’s not your client’s back,” she said about the image, featuring the Black model who posed for the photos. Brophy is white. The rapper said she posted a photo of the “famous Canadian model” on her social media.

The singer whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar said an artist used only a “small portion” of the tattoos without her knowledge. She had previously said the cover art – created by Timm Gooden — was transformative fair use of Brophy’s likeness.
Cappello said Gooden was paid $50 to create a design but was then told to find another tattoo after he turned in an initial draft. He said Gooden googled “back tattoos” before he found an image and pasted it on the cover.

Meanwhile, Cardi B recently released her much-awaited track Hot Sh*t which also features Kanye West and Lil Durk. The track marked Cardi B's first single in 2022 and has already become a fan favourite. The song celebrates her independence as well as her musical career. In the track, she raps, "Either way you slice it, bottom line, I’m the top b***h/New Chanel, I rock it, twist and it ain’t even out yet." She further added, "All this jewellery at the grocery store, I’m obnoxious/Bought a home and closin’ on another, I know I’m blessed."

IMAGE: Instagram/IamCardiB