Jay-Z is suing photographer Jonathan Mannion over images he’s selling of rapper

Jay-Z is suing photographer Jonathan Mannion over images he’s selling of rapper after snapping his debut album cover


Jay-Z has filed a lawsuit against photographer Jonathan Mannion and his company Jonathan Mannion Photography LLC, claiming that he’s been using his name and image without permission.

In legal docs reviewed by TMZ, the rapper, 51, said that Mannion, 50 – who snapped the cover to his 1996 album Reasonable Doubt – has used his name and image to sell merchandise such as photos on his personal website. 

The Brooklyn native said he never authorized Mannion to use his likeness, and that when he asked the photographer to cease doing so, Mannion asked for millions of dollars in compensation.

The latest: Jay-Z, 51, has filed a lawsuit against photographer Jonathan Mannion, 50, and his company claiming that he’s been using his name and image without permission. The rapper was snapped in Brooklyn earlier this month with wife Beyonce, 39 

The rap mogul told the court that Mannion has made an ‘arrogant assumption that because he took those photographs, he can do with them as he pleases.’

In legal docs, Jay-Z said that he had compensated Mannion for images he snapped that were used on album covers.

Jay-Z said that Mannion has hundreds of images of him from the 1996 shoot and that he owns the rights to said images.

The Big Pimpin’ rapper said he found it ‘ironic that a photographer would treat the image of a formerly-unknown Black teenager, now wildly successful, as a piece of property to be squeezed for every dollar it can produce,’ adding that ‘it stops today.’

Out and about: Mannion was snapped in May at an event in NYC

Out and about: Mannion was snapped in May at an event in NYC 

Details: Jay-Z has asked the court to order Mannion to cease selling his images and grant him a piece of the money he's made to date

Details: Jay-Z has asked the court to order Mannion to cease selling his images and grant him a piece of the money he’s made to date

Jay-Z has asked the court to order Mannion to cease selling his images and grant him a piece of the money he’s made to date.

Mannion’s rep told the outlet of the suit: ‘We are confident that the First Amendment protects Mr. Mannion’s right to sell fine art prints of his copyrighted works, and will review the complaint and respond in due course.

They added: ‘Mr. Mannion has created iconic images of Mr. Carter over the years, and is proud that these images have helped to define the artist that Jay-Z is today. 

‘Mr. Mannion has the utmost respect for Mr. Carter and his body of work, and expects that Mr. Carter would similarly respect the rights of artists and creators who have helped him achieve the heights to which he has ascended.’