Famed Hip Hop photographer Al Pereira doesn’t mess around when it comes to his images. Many have been shared photos freely on social media without credit, but Pereira has made it clear, legally, that his images aren’t up for grabs. He previously sued Kylie and Kendall Jenner after he alleged that they used his photo of Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, and Redman without his permission, and according to Radar Online, he recently filed a similar suit against Nas.
Back in July 1993, Pereira took a photo of Nas and Tupac as they were hanging out at New York’s Club Amazon. In 2017, Pereira reportedly registered for copyright after republishing the image, and in 2020, Nas is said to have shared it on his Instagram page.
Al Pereira / Contributor / Getty Images
It all seems innocent enough, but Pereira filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Grammy-winning rapper on February 2. Documents reportedly show that Pereira is not only upset that Nas did not ask for permission “or license the work,” but he accused Nas of “profiting from the work” while “using it to increase his social media status.”
Selling these licenses of his art is reportedly how Pereira makes a living, and because Nas freely posted the image online, the photographer argued that the picture has lost some of its value. It is unclear what damages Pereira is seeking at this time. Nas has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
