Concert Photographer Accuses Rapper of ‘Stealing’ His Photo for Album Cover
A concert photographer has filed a lawsuit accusing rapper Rod Wave of using his image without permission on the cover of the artist’s latest album and related promotional materials.
Rod Wave, whose real name is Rodarius Marcell Green, released his sixth studio album Last Lap in 2024. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 56 weeks.
The album cover features an image of Wave performing on stage, photographed from behind. In the image, he grips a microphone in his right hand and a microphone stand in his left while facing the crowd.
According to a lawsuit filed on Thursday in federal court, photographer Allan Salas alleges he took the image at an August 2024 concert in Tampa, Florida, and that the picture was used without his consent. Salas, who is based in Tampa, Florida, claims he owns the rights to the image.
According to a report by Billboard, the lawsuit states that Salas photographed Wave during an August 2024 homecoming concert for the Florida-born rapper in Tampa. The complaint claims Salas was “authorized to be at the Arena to take photos of Green during this concert,” was not compensated, and retained full rights to the images he captured.
Salas alleges that Wave’s team was informed of his ownership of the photograph but proceeded to use it anyway. The lawsuit claims the image appeared not only on the album cover but also on merchandise and promotional materials for a 28-date arena tour.
Prior to the album’s release, the complaint alleges that Wave’s team was “explicitly advised” that Salas owned the photograph. According to Billboard, the filing claims they did not attempt “to contact Mr. Salas” nor “attempt to obtain his permission or a license.”
“Green’s use of the photograph was deliberate, willful, and in utter disregard of the plaintiff’s rights,” attorneys for Salas write in the complaint.
The lawsuit further alleges that the photograph was printed on T-shirts and other merchandise, increasing the financial benefit to Rod Wave, while Salas received no compensation or licensing agreement for the use of his work.
“Even though the defendants had already commercially released the album, which contained unauthorized uses of the photograph, the defendants doubled down and tripled down on their unauthorized use,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit comes weeks after a photographer sued rapper Future for allegedly using his copyrighted picture without permission on his Mixtape Pluto album cover. In another case this month, a photographer took a bold legal step to secure payment from rapper Cam’ron after winning a $51,000 copyright infringement judgment over her iconic photo of him.
Image credits: Header photo via Wikimedia Commons.
