Rihanna Sued By Photographer David LaChapelle

Celebrity photographer and filmmaker David LaChapelle has filed a lawsuit against Rihanna, her label Def Jam/UMG Recordings and Black Dog Films, claiming that eight images from her video for "S&M" were "directly derived" from his body of work. He is suing for unspecified damages.

Photos: Rihanna's Best Looks

According to LaChapelle, the "S&M" video mimics the "composition, total concept, feel, tone, mood, theme, colors, props, setting, decors, wardrobe and lighting" of specific photographs he has produced over the course of his career. The photographer also alleges that the clip's director Melina Matsoukas was instructed to create a "LaChapelle-esque music video" and that prints of his photographs were used in creating storyboards for the production. LaChapelle says that another well-known video director was approached to make the video under the same instructions, but declined the offer.

Photos: Rihanna, On the Road and Behind the Scenes

LaChapelle has worked with Rihanna and Def Jam in the past, notably on a photo shoot with the singer back in the summer of 2007.

Fashion Photog Sues Rihanna & Def Jam [Courthouse News]

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Song Stories

“Baby Got Back”

Sir Mix-a-Lot | 1992

While watching a Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl, Sir Mix-a-Lot thought the skinny female models in the ad didn’t represent reality. So he wrote this ode to ample bottoms, featuring its famous to-the-point lyric: “I like big butts and I cannot lie.” MTV banished the video, featuring shaking booties and sexually suggestive fruit, to 9 p.m. or later. “I thought my career was over,” he told Rolling Stone. “Then I called Rick Rubin, and I told him the video was banned, and he was like, 'Great!' We sold another 2 million records.”

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