Vogue and Wintour aren’t to be messed with! Rappers Drake and 21 Savage have learned the hard way after being hit with a lawsuit from ‘Vogue magazine publisher Condé Nast. The musical legends released faux issues of Vogue with themselves on the cover to promote their new album “Her Loss.” The cover was part of a series of fake media appearances on their social channels, including an interview with Howard Stern, a COLORS show, and a musical performance on Saturday Night Live. While others took it lightly, Vogue didn’t; there are no funny bones here, only fashion! Condé Nast is seeking damages of $4 million.
Drake also left no stone unturned to make things look pretty authentic as he tweeted along with the cover image, “Me and my brother on newsstands tomorrow!! Thanks @voguemagazine and Anna Wintour for the love and support on this historic moment.” The issues were handed out on the streets in places like Miami, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, and the mag went viral on social media with posters popping up almost everywhere. That is when Condé Nast sent a cease and desist on Oct. 31 demanding Drake and his team stop the “unauthorized use of the Vogue trademark by removing the Instagram post, ceasing any distribution of this ‘magazine,’ and issuing a public statement clarifying that this was not an actual cover of Vogue,” per Page Six.
A look inside Drake and 21 Savage’s “Vogue” magazine for ‘Her Loss’ 🦉🗡️ pic.twitter.com/XQLBE4pkUn
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) November 1, 2022
The court papers allege: “Anna Wintour did not authorize the use of her image to promote Defendants’ Album.” The filing also argues the counterfeit Vogues “exploit” the mag’s trademark and have caused “widespread public confusion.” Fortune shared how Howard Stern was all praises for the ingenious marketing campaign, “Drake did such a good job that the news outlets are reporting on it as if it’s real. I wish I could do this. Whenever I have to promote something, I should do this. Hell, whenever I have to go visit my mother, I wish I could do this.” Perhaps they can now rename the album ‘His Loss.’
