Drake is being accused of lifting a National Geographic photographer’s acclaimed gun-themed portrait for his “What Did I Miss” music video, according to a sweeping federal copyright lawsuit that says the rapper hijacked the image’s layout, symbolism, and visual style without permission.
The complaint, filed by Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti, alleges that the July 4 release deliberately recreated his “Ameriguns” portrait, down to the arrangement of weapons, the subject’s pose beside a pool, the architecture in the background, and the lighting placement.
Galimberti, a longtime National Geographic contributor and World Press Photo winner, says the video’s production team copied the photo so closely that viewers on social media began tagging him before he even knew about the scene.
Court filings include a side-by-side comparison and argue the recreation was so exact that it implied an official collaboration, despite no contact, contract, or licensing arrangement.
The photographer’s “Ameriguns” project features U.S. gun owners amid their personal arsenals, arranged in meticulous geometric patterns. The suit says the video scene not only mimicked this composition but also used Independence Day as its release date to bolster the association with the project’s themes.
Galimberti’s suit says Drake used the July 4 release date to echo the themes of the Ameriguns project and also link himself to the photographer’s past ordeal involving a Balenciaga ad that sparked false claims of pedophilia. Galimberti later won a defamation case abroad, but his photos remained associated with the scandal during intense media coverage.
“Given Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics directed as calling Defendant Graham a pedophile and Defendant Graham’s now dismissed defamation lawsuit, on information and belief, Defendant Graham sought to imply that he, like Plaintiff, would be publicly exonerated,” argued Galimberti’s lawyer, Heather L. Blaise
According to the filing, the segment appears for more than a minute and a half of the four-minute video and has earned significant views and monetization since its premiere. Galimberti argues that the unauthorized use damaged the value of his work, distorted the public’s perception of his career and tied him to a music video he never approved.
The suit targets Drake, OVO Sound, Republic Records, Universal Music Group, and unnamed defendants, accusing them of direct, contributory, and vicarious infringement. It seeks damages, profits, and an injunction stopping further distribution of the video.
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