Giannina Antonette Oteto, the model who graced the cover of Childish Gambino‘s 2016 “Awaken, My Love!” album cover, is accusing the artist of not paying up.
For years, Oteto has accused Gambino, also known as Donald Glover, and his team of low balling her, avoiding her, and refusing to pay previously promised residuals for the project. And apparently, she isn’t the only one.
The model provided an update on the matter on Facebook.
“Being able to hold an album that I’m on the cover of,” Giannina Oteto captioned alongside a picture of her holding a vinyl pressing of Childish Gambino’s album, which has since been deleted. “And having my bestie mom next to me to celebrate! My number 1 cheerleader! This album has been so hard for me to celebrate for many reasons, and for years I resented it even. It put me through a lot, but finally, being able to celebrate it means a lot! Update: I resented it because myself, the makeup artist, and stylist (all black women) were [taken] advantage of and lied to.
“We received low pay. [They] promised residuals. But [we] never received anything,” she continued, adding that the only person who did receive the residual pay was a white woman who wasn’t even on set.
“The only person who received residuals was a white woman who created the headpiece even though she was not on set to work on this (but she also deserves it),” Oteto continued. “After years of lies and silence, then finding out statute of limitation complications… it’s been an exhausting, emotional, and overall sad thing to deal with. So it took so much from me, especially the fact that we all worked on it with so much love and being proud to represent black artists. All of my lawyers’ communications have been ignored by [Childish Gambino] and his team. #bittersweet.”
The model also reposted various drawings she received since the project’s release, Hot New Hip Hop reported. Oteto says she is thankful for the opportunity to work on the project and the acknowledgments she has gained, but she rightfully thinks that all the contributors deserve more than they have received.
Glover has yet to respond to the allegations.
