Drake And 21 Savage Settle Vogue's $4M Lawsuit Out Of Court
By Afouda Bamidele on February 20, 2023 at 11:00 AM EST
The rappers got into trouble after distributing digital and physical copies of a fake Vogue cover and magazine promoting their joint 2022 album, "Her Loss." Savage and Drake have settled the lawsuit against them by the magazine's parent company Condé Nast for an undisclosed amount. They were initially sued for $4 million in damages by the publishing company.
21 Savage & Drake Pay Undisclosed Amount To Settle Vogue Lawsuit Out Of Court
The fake cover and magazine, which featured Drake, also included a photoshopped image of a younger version of Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and a falsified story. The "One Dance" hitmaker used the fake publication to promote "Her Loss" on his social media pages, claiming that he and Savage would be on newsstands before its release on November 4.
The rapper even shouted out to Wintour, cementing the legal fate of him and his fellow rapper. Now, months later, Semafor has broken the settlement news, marking the official end of the legal war between the talented rappers and Condé Nast.
In an internal memo shared by the company's general counsel Will Bowes, it was disclosed that Condé Nast received a "permanent injunction barring further commercial uses of Vogue trademarks."
Although the memo, which was distributed on Thursday, revealed that the company received a monetary settlement from Savage and Drake, a specific amount was not mentioned. However, Bowes noted that the money would "bolster" the "ongoing creative output, including Vogue editorial."
The general counsel added that even though Condé Nast understood that their brands "may be referenced in other creative works," it went beyond the usual in the case. In his words:
"In this instance, however, it was clear to us that Drake and 21 Savage leveraged Vogue’s reputation for their own commercial purposes and, in the process, confused audiences who trust Vogue as the authoritative voice on fashion and culture."
He also highlighted that the rap duo had been repeatedly warned to cease distributing the fake Vogue material before they were served the letters.
The Talented Music Heavyweights Were Served The Lawsuit Days After The Release Of 'Her Loss'
As reported by The Blast, Drake — full name Aubrey Drake Graham — and Savage — real name Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph — were served the lawsuit almost a week after their collaborative album dropped.
The suit, filed in a Manhattan federal court, claimed that the 36-year-old and the 30-year-old rappers exploited the brand name by using it to advertise their most joint project without proper authorization.
The duo's version of the publication, which appeared genuine, was distributed on multiple streets in cities within the United States, including New York and Miami, and it became even more popular with their online fanbase.
Condé Nast – also known as Advance Magazine Publishers Inc –further claimed that the ploy gave their avid readers the impression that Drake and Savage would appear on an upcoming cover of the famed lifestyle magazine.
The suit, which read, "All of this is false. And none of it has been authorized by Conde Nast," also mentioned the cease and desist letter the company served the "Take Care" hitmaker and the "can't leave without it" rapper that asked them to end the "unauthorized use of the Vogue trademark [and] ceasing any distribution" for the doctored magazines.
The mass media company appealed to the duo to release a statement clarifying that their magazines were fake to limit the "widespread confusion" it had caused since it hit the internet. The litigation then noted that the faux publication's use of Wintour's face was also not approved:
"Anna Wintour did not authorize the use of her image to promote Defendants' Album."
Along with the fake Vogue publications, other promotional campaigns for "Her Loss" included an NPR "Tiny Desk" appearance, a Howard Stern interview, and a "Saturday Night Live" performance — all of which were doctored by a design mastermind.
As for the album itself, "Her Loss" gained traction online, with "Rich Flex" becoming one of its biggest songs, subsequently birthing several memes and jokes targeted at Drake on Twitter.
Although Savage and Drake have teamed together to release singles, this would be their first collaborative album. Their previous songs include "Jimmy Cooks" from Drake's album, "Honestly, Nevermind," and "Knife Talk" from the 36-year-old's "Certified Lover Boy" project.
