Cardi B Appears In Court For $5M ‘Raunchy’ Cover Art Trial
Cardi B made her first appearance in court Tuesday (Oct. 18) to battle a $5 million dollar lawsuit over “raunchy” cover art from a mixtape the rapper dropped six years…
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Fashion Nova)
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for Fashion Nova)Cardi B made her first appearance in court Tuesday (Oct. 18) to battle a $5 million dollar lawsuit over "raunchy" cover art from a mixtape the rapper dropped six years ago, Rolling Stone reports.
The plaintiff is body-art aficionado and model Kevin Brophy, Jr. He claims his body art was used for the rap superstar's 2016 mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1 cover. The cover art features Cardi in the back of a limousine, drinking from a bottle of Corona, and holding the back of man’s head in her hand as he appears to perform oral sex on her.
A Black male model posed for the original photo but later a digital artist replaced the model’s "cartoon-style back tattoo" with one he found on the internet. According to Brophy's testimony, the tattoo artwork turned out to be part of a complex "back piece" which he considers a core piece of his identity.
"It felt like my Michelangelo was stolen off the wall and just literally ripped off and robbed and just put wherever these people wanted to put it," he recounted. "It looks like I’m giving oral sex to somebody that’s not my wife, somebody that’s not my partner, and an image that I never signed off on, ever."
He continued: "Being a father of two and a devoted husband and a man of faith as well, this goes against everything that I stand for, and I would never ever sign off on something like this."
Cardi’s attorney Peter J. Anderson offered several points for the jury to consider on how people would probably not identify the man on the cover of Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1 cover with the plaintiff. Anderson pointed out that the man pictured on the cover is a Black man, whose hair is also visible in the photo. Brophy is Caucasian and keeps his hair shaved. Additionally, the model in the photo is missing another tattoo which appears on the plaintiff’s neck.
"They have not identified any person, any member of the public, any friend who said that," Anderson said referring to the plaintiff possibly being identified by the cover art.
However, Brophy’s attorney’s argued that the Bronx rapper should have never used the body art at all.
"This was his likeness," attorney A. Barry Cappello said. "It’s the personal property, it’s the personal identity of a private citizen, not another celebrity. This is a private person. Unless you ask for it or you pay for it, you can’t take it under the laws of the land… You can’t take somebody else’s image and do something offensive with it, hold it in a false light."
Capello added that Cardi and her team "blew off" Brophy’s cease-and-desist letter sent in 2017, "they decided they would ruin a private family’s life for five years."
The outlet noted that Cardi stood quietly in court Tuesday but she is due to take the witness stand later in the expected four-day civil trial.
Cardi B first hit the hip-hop scene by posting herself rapping onto social media. Her vibrant personality caught the eyes of producers from VH1's Love and Hip Hop New York, which helped to launch her to superstardom. The Bronx native dropped "Bodak Yellow" in 2017 and in 2018 she released her debut album, Invasion of Privacy. Cardi B won the 2018 Grammy for Best Rap Album making her the first solo woman to win the award. The rapper has yet to drop a sophomore album but has released several hits with fellow artists such as Megan Thee Stallion and Migos.
Scroll through Cardi B's top hits ranked below.
10. "Ring" ft. Kehlani
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)Cardi takes a swing at R&B with this track featuring songstress Kehlani. "Ring" speaks of missing someone that doesn't call anymore. The "I miss you" theme track was written by songwriter Nija Charles recalling the lyrics to Genius as "very honest and vulnerable."
9. "Drip" ft. Migos
(Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)Cardi recruits Migos for this hit as Offset takes a majority of the song rapping part of the hook and second verse. Cardi takes the first verse as Quavo and Takeoff follow with the third and fourth verse. Per Songfacts, the word "drippin'" is used 120 times throughout the song. Quavo is the only one that doesn't use the word at all.
Cardi recruits Migos for this hit as Offset takes a majority of the song rapping part of the hook and second verse. Cardi takes the first verse as Quavo and Takeoff follow with the third and fourth verse. Per Songfacts, the word "drippin'" is used 120 times throughout the song. Quavo is the only one that doesn't use the word at all.
8. "Press"
(Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for REVOLVE)The 2019 song was a reflection of Cardi's now very public life. The song correlated with the Bronx rapper's real-life court proceeding as she pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a fight in a strip club. She first previewed the song to her Instagram followers in December 2018 and later released the track in May of 2019.
7. "Be Careful"
(Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Fashion Nova)In the midst of cheating rumors from her husband Offset, the track (which was very different for Cardi) impressed fans with her versatility. The song addresses the cheating rumors and alleged sex tape with Offset and another woman, "You gon' gain the whole world, But is it worth the girl that you're losin'?" Fugees singer Lauryn Hill gets a writing credit for the track as Cardi uses the bridge to her 1998 hit "Ex Factor" and explained what it meant to get Hill's seal of approval. "Not only was I relieved, I was like I cannot believe Lauryn Hill approved this record. For her to approve, it was the biggest stamp to it," she said, per Songfacts. "Nobody could talk s--- about this record to me because the sensei approved it."
6. "Money"
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Cardi's first solo release after 'Invasion of Privacy' found her spilling about her love of money. Producer White Did It (who was behind the Bronx MC's "Bodak Yellow" and "I Like It") spoke about creating the record to Genius, "I love just intense-sounding sounds, so this piano is what I started with. This is suspense. Like, I'm coming. It feels like some shark in the water. That piano just… it sets the tone for the mood." Cardi performed "Money" at the 2018 Grammys when she won "Best Rap Album." "Money" also took home the "Best Hip Hop Video" at the VMAs in 2019.
5. "Bartier Cardi" ft. 21 Savage
(Photo by Ser Baffo/Getty Images for BET)The song's title is a mashup of her name and the luxury brand Cartier. Cardi explained on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, "I had to name it 'Bartier' because I didn't want Cartier to sue me." The song shares a similar rhythmic fast flow like her debut single "Bodak Yellow" which is probably why the song was received so well by her fans. The video was nominated for a VMA in 2018 for "Best Hip Hop Video."
5. "Up"
(Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)Cardi revealed during a YouTube live interview that she got the idea for the song from Offset because he kept repeating the phrase "up and stuck," and then she started repeating "up and a stuck out of nowhere." The song landed at #2 on the Hot 100 in its first week, making Cardi B the first female solo rapper to debut in the Top 5 of the chart since Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998, per the outlet. This was Cardi's fifth Hot 100 #1 following "Bodak Yellow," "I Like It," and "Girls Like You Remix," and "WAP."
3. "I Like It" ft. Bad Bunny & J Balvin
(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)"I Like It" taps in Columbian superstar reggaeton singer J Balvin and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny for this hit. Producer J. White Did It is behind this track and explains the meaning of the popular hit: "It's just celebrating success, achievement, talking about what she likes. Pretty much, if you ain't working, you ain't eating." This was Cardi's second Hot 100 #1 hit and first for both J. Balvin and Bad Bunny. Cardi B became the first female rapper with two chart-toppers, the first was, of course, her debut single "Bodak Yellow."
"I Like It" taps in superstar Colombian reggaeton singer J Balvin and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny for this hit. Producer J. White Did It is behind this track and explains the meaning of the popular hit: "It's just celebrating success, achievement, talking about what she likes. Pretty much, if you ain't working, you ain't eating." This was the Cardi's second Hot 100 #1 hit and first for both J. Balvin and Bad Bunny. Cardi B became the first female rapper with two chart-toppers, the first was from her debut single "Bodak Yellow."
2. "WAP" ft. Megan Thee Stallion
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)Many would conclude that Cardi and Megan's "WAP" was a culture reset. The song topped the US chart, becoming Cardi's fourth #1 and Megan's second. The raunchy lyrics and racy Grammy performance became the topic of many think pieces due to the nature of the song. Cardi confidently said to i-D of her haters, "They keep talking and the numbers keep going up. At the end of the day, whatever they’re saying, the numbers speak for themselves.” The song won the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards "Best Collaboration" and "Best Song of the Year."
1. "Bodak Yellow"
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Universal Pictures)Cardi's 2017 hit "Bodak Yellow" solidified her place in hip-hop. The rapper was nominated for two Grammys in 2017 for "Best Rap Performance" and "Best Rap Song." The climb made the song the first top 10 hit solo by a female rapper since Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" reached #2 three years previously.
