Last week, Lil Uzi Vert was accused of stealing the cover artwork for his single “That Way” on Instagram by a Korean user who claimed to be the original artist. However, unlike some of his contemporaries, rather than issuing an outright denial or challenging the claims, he instead gave a near-perfect response.
The “That Way” art features inspiration from a number of sources, including Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim comic series and pretty much any high school anime ever, but there’s no denying that the figure pose of Uzi’s avatar and configuration of the heart-shaped blast behind him seem to pretty definitely come from @hugeriver8’s post. The artist accompanied a side-by-side comparison with a caption detailing their feelings about the image’s unauthorized use.
“I am very upset that I have to write such an article,” they wrote. “I saw lil uzi vert’s latest album cover art and it was very similar to my painting.
My picture was posted on my blog six years ago, and it is possible to use it for profile pictures or non-commercial purposes, but it is not allowed to use anything else. Now I’m very embarrassed and don’t want to let this go.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9tHjbCHwBC/
Concerned fans tagged Uzi in the post, prompting him to check in in the comments. “Hey I’m not a mean person or a thief I get inspired a lot,” he wrote. “If you want Money I will have my team contact and give you Money. Signed… Baby Pluto. P.S. You are a great artist.” @hugeriver8 hasn’t posted an update yet, but if indeed they are the original artist and Uzi follows through on his promise — one he’s made to college students in the past — it shows artists that the easiest and quickest way to resolve such complaints is to reach out with kindness and compliments.
Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. .
