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Notorious B.I.G. Estate Settles Lawsuit Against Famed Photographer Over World Trade Center Image
The deal will end a lawsuit in which Biggie’s estate claimed hip-hop photog Chi Modu was exploiting the rapper’s likeness.
Biggie’s estate sued in 2019, claiming Modu had illegally authorized the use of his 1996 photograph of the rapper (real name Christopher Wallace) on commercial products like skateboards and shower curtains. A longtime photographer for The Source, Modu captured images of some of hip-hop’s biggest names, including Tupac Shakur, Mary J. Blige, Mobb Deep and LL Cool J. “Plaintiff’s use of Wallace’s image to promote and sell such merchandise constitutes an exploitation of his likeness on an unrelated product for that purpose, which extends beyond control of the artistic work itself,” the judge wrote at the time.
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