Drake and 21 Savage were sued by Condé Nast, the publisher behind fashion magazine Vogue, on Monday (November 07) for a fake cover in the magazine. As part of the promotional phase for their joint album HER LOSS, the two rappers not only staged the “Vogue” cover, but also an interview and a concert. The album was released on November 4th following an announcement in the music video for “Jimmy Cooks”, a song from Drake’s previous album HONESTLY, NEVERMIND.
The company behind Vogue filed a lawsuit Monday (November 7) seeking $4 million in damages, or three times the earnings from its album and fake magazines. Neither Condé Nast nor the journalist and editor-in-chief of “Vogue”, Anna Wintour, would have approved of the action. In the indictment, they write: “The fact that the defendants would knowingly infringe Condé Nast’s rights in this manner underscores the tremendous value of a cover photo in Vogue magazine in boosting sales of an album that was written was published a few days after the defendants’ fraudulent campaign began.”
In the short time since Drake and 21 Savage’s album was announced on Oct. 22, the two rappers have done their best to garner as much attention as possible. In a now-deleted Instagram post, Drake wrote: “My brother and I in the newsstands starting tomorrow! Thanks [Vogue Magazine] and Anna Wintour for the love and support at this historic moment,” while posting a picture of the alleged Vogue issue with them on the cover. Additionally, an alleged “Vogue” interview with 21 Savage was posted to Twitter, showing what he carries in his breast pocket. The video, which was uploaded via Drake’s OVO Sound label account, also had the sign of “Vogue” in the left corner.
Drake & 21 Savage are being sued over their fake Vogue cover ?
Condé Nast, the company which owns Vogue, wants at least $4M in damages pic.twitter.com/9abMaUgTol
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) November 8, 2022
In The Bag with @21Savage #HERLOSS pic.twitter.com/2saCd73XY3
— OVO Sound (@OVOSound) November 3, 2022
The other fake actions by the rappers, which can also be found on Drake’s Instagram account, were much more relaxed. Drake and 21 Savage reenacted a “Tiny Desk Concert” by NPR Music, which featured Twitter replied: “No, Drake doesn’t have a Tiny Desk yet [Konzert] given, but we are open to it.” This was followed by an alleged interview with the American moderator Howard Stern. An interview between Stern and comedian Jerrod Carmichael was used to edit a real-world conversation.