gangsta bitch music, vol. 1

In the courtroom, Cardi B doesn’t miss. The “Put It On Da Floor (Remix)” rapper landed another sizable monetary settlement. After fighting a $5 million misappropriation of likeness lawsuit filed by RVCA marketing manager Kevin Brophy, a judge ruled in the entertainer’s favor. Although the verdict was announced in October 2022, the case was far from over.

It is now being reported by Billboard that the accuser, Brophy, has to pay back Cardi B’s legal fees, totaling $350,000. In the paperwork obtained by the outlet, the legal representatives for both wrote, “The parties now have reached an agreement avoiding the necessity of defendants’ motion for attorney’s fees and application to tax costs.”

The 2017 case stemmed from Cardi B’s Gangsta B*tch Music, Vol. 1 mixtape cover art. In the artwork, Cardi appears to be receiving oral sex from a tattooed man. Brophy alleged that the male model used for the Photoshop played on his likeness based on their similar back tattoo, testifying, “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. 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.”

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cardi B won a decisive victory this week in the case against her over the cover of her first mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1, according to Rolling Stone. Cardi previously won the case brought by California man Kevin Brophy in a jury trial in October, but U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney ruled Wednesday (December 28) to uphold the jury’s decision and reject Brophy’s appeal, which he said: “wants for substantive merit.”

Brophy had sued Cardi over the mixtape cover claiming it used a portion of his back tattoo on a model depicted performing oral sex on Cardi. Brophy claimed that this caused him emotional distress due to being misrepresented. However, Cardi’s defense argued that Brophy couldn’t prove any material harm or even that anyone could recognize him from the tattoo.

Carney apparently agreed with Cardi’s defense and ultimately, the jury who decided against Brophy in October. “The jury had an ample basis for its verdict,” he wrote in his decision. “For example, the jury could have reasonably concluded that the back tattoo on the model on the mixtape cover at issue in this suit was not sufficiently identifiable with Brophy to constitute misappropriation of his likeness or depiction in a false light. Because the model’s face is not visible, identification based on facial appearance is impossible.”

The judge also noted the artistic value of the mixtape cover itself, writing, “Most importantly, Brophy’s tattoo played a minor role in what was a larger visual commentary on sexual politics. Brophy’s tattoo was but one tattoo on the back of the model, who was himself but one part of a suggestive portrayal of a man with his head between Cardi B’s legs while she was in the backseat of a vehicle and drank an alcoholic beverage. The purpose, Cardi B testified, was to show her in control, reversing traditional gender roles. It is hard to see how the cover’s economic value derived at all from Brophy’s tattoo. Despite any contrary evidence that Brophy presented, the jury was within reason to find that the use of the tattoo was transformative.”

Cardi herself recently commemorated her first mixtape and all that’s happened since sharing some of the early promo photos for it on Twitter. “I had a dream,” she attested. She also recalled “crushing hard” on her now-husband Offset while filming one of the mixtape’s music videos.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Back in 2016, Cardi B’s music journey started with Gangsta B*tch Music, Vol. 1, her debut mixtape. Like any other up-and-coming rapper at the time, Cardi put in the work to push the album, and now, she has taken a moment to reflect on some promotional photos from the era.

She shared three shots yesterday (December 28), which each image representing numbers in a countdown leading up to the project’s release. In one photo, Cardi wears just her underwear as she does laundry. In another, she sits, also scantily clad, on a mailbox. In the final pic, she wears shorts and a bikini top while cooking something on the stove. All the pictures include a graphic indicating how many days remain until the mixtape drops and a phone number to contact to secure a free pre-order of the project.

Sharing the photos, Cardi wrote on Twitter, “My first mixtape promo photos ….I had a dream.”

Meanwhile, a Twitter hater hearkened back to this era by accusing Cardi of not being passionate about music and insisting she “should been an entertainer or remained on Love and Hip hop.” Cardi replied, “I am passionate…I’m actually overly passionate that’s why I don’t drop lackluster music …..and if I drop something that ain’t my best I makes sure the next song or verse is my BESTEST.”

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The long-awaited trial over the cover art for Cardi B’s debut mixtape has been postponed again, according to Billboard.

The trial, which was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, was to begin on August 3. However, on Friday, Judge Cormac J. Carney moved the trial to October as Cardi’s original attorney will be unavailable due to a “serious illness.” She’ll now have a week to find a new attorney and begin preparing for the trial.

The case revolves around a 2017 lawsuit filed by California resident Kevin Brophy, who claims Cardi used his likeness without permission on the cover of Gangsta B*tch Music, Vol. 1; he claims that this violated his privacy and “humiliated” him among family and friends. The cover depicts Cardi sitting with her legs spread as a tattooed man kneeling in front of her appears to be engaged in oral sex.

While the original model consented to use his image on the cover, the tattoos on his back were photoshopped in by the graphic designer hired to create the cover. Brophy’s tattoos appeared on a Google search and were superimposed on the model. Brophy’s lawyer said that he “has had to face uncomfortable comments, questions, and ridicule, from community members and family” and that “his work and professional life have been unalterably damaged by his having to explain this unconsented-to, offensive, and malicious use of his image.”

Cardi’s lawyers, however, contended that there’s no real way Brophy’s tattoos would be recognizable, that the digital manipulation on the cover makes it protected by the First Amendment, and that Brophy is just trying to cash in. Meanwhile, Cardi herself has been putting the finishing touches on a new album featuring the single “Hot Sh*t.”

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cardi B has been keeping busy lately. Not only did she recently hop on Lizzo’s new single “Rumors,” but she just gave birth to her second child with Offset earlier this month. Because she’s presumably taking time off of working to take care of her newborn, the rapper has reportedly asked a judge to delay a trial for a copyright infringement over her early music.

Cardi B’s debut mixtape, Gangsta B*tch Music Vol. 1, features salacious cover art that includes a man with elaborate back tattoos. After the project’s release, Cardi was hit with a lawsuit by Kevin Brophy, who claims the back tattoos in the image are his, but he never posed for the photo or gave Cardi permission to use his likeness. In the lawsuit, Brophy claims the cover art “ruined his life,” and cost him at least $5 million in damages, per a report from TMZ. The lawsuit was filed four years ago was finally slated to go to trial next month, but TMZ reports Cardi is trying to delay it even further.

The rapper reportedly filed court documents insisting the birth of her second child prohibits her from traveling all the way from the east coast to southern California for the court date. Plus, the rapper is concerned about COVID travel risks and wants to avoid spending extended time in public spaces like airports, hotels, and the courthouse. Cardi has allegedly asked a judge to delay the trial for at least 75 days due to her reasons, so it looks like Brophy may have to wait a little longer to confront the rapper in court.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.