Jay-Z Logo Lawsuit: Rapper Sued for $7M Over Roc-A-Fella Logo

A New York City clothing designer has sued rapper Jay-Z and his former label partners at Roc-A-Fella for $7 million in unpaid royalties, USA Today is reporting.

In a copyright infringement suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday, designer Dwayne Walker says he created the famous Roc-A-Fella records logo, which features a letter ”R” over a vinyl disc and a champagne bottle.

“The logo has become universally recognized as an iconic symbol of Jay-Z, one of the most successful recording artists in the history of popular music,” the lawsuit states.

Walker claims to have whipped up the logo in 1995, when Jay-Z and his former business partners Damon Dash and Kareem ‘Biggs’ Burke founded the record company, which is now a subsidiary of the Universal Music Group.

The New York Daily News reports Jay-Z’s publicist did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Jay-Z’s recent logo lawsuit isn’t the first legal obstacle faced by the hip-hop artist this year. In June, the 42-year-old rapper was sued for plagiarism by author Patrick White, who claims Jay stole portions of his writing and then used them for his own memoir, Decoded.

In that suit, Mr. White states:

“In 2009, my personal computer was compromised, resulting in my personal work to be used in Jay-Z’s book ‘Decoded’ which was released in 2010. The book contains various expressions/colors/phrases which correlates to my work. After contacting or attempting to contact the co-author, I got no reply.”

Meanwhile, Jay-Z is scheduled to open Brooklyn’s new Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, with a series of eight concerts starting on September 28th and ending on October 6. More information on those performances is available here.

Image: Popcrush