Kendrick Lamar and SZA are being sued for allegedly stealing an artist’s artwork and using it in their new music video for The “Black Panther” “All The Stars.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
British Liberian artist Lina Iris Viktor is accusing the feature film, “Black Panther” of using her artwork without her permission. A New York Times report says representatives from “Black Panther” asked for Viktor’s art to be displayed in the film’s promotional projects for the film, but she declined the offer.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The “All The Stars” video, which was performed by Lamar and SZA, features intergalactic and fantasy-like imagery. If you go to the three-minute mark of the video you’ll see a 24-karat gold, patterned artwork that looks extremely similar to Viktor’s “Constellations” and is seen for about 20 seconds.
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On Feb. 10, Viktor’s lawyer contacted Top Dawg Entertainment’s Anthony Tiffith to discuss the issue of copyright infringement. “It’s an ethical issue because what the whole film purports is that it’s about black empowerment, African excellence — that’s the whole concept of the story. And at the same time they’re stealing from African artists,” said Viktor in her interview with The New York Times.
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It is unknown if Viktor’s artwork is seen in the film, but Lamar has taken to Instagram and thanked all the artists who contributed to the video. “Black Panther” hits theaters this Thursday, Feb. 16.
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