You’ve lassoed the steer, punched the boxer and shot paintballs at coworkers, but a flash ad urging you to “Shoot the Rapper” is causing a stir with the musician who says his likeness was used for it. Curtis James Jackson III, better known to the world as 50 Cent, is suing the company that ran the ad, requesting $1 million in damages for the illegal use of his image.
Although the advertisement never explicitly says “50 Cent” anywhere on it, the rapper and his lawyer claim that the resemblance of the pacing on-screen rapper is uncanny. “It looks like him, and there’s no doubt the character is intended to be him,” said 50 Cent’s lawyer Peter Raymond. Further strengthening the likeness is 50 Cent’s gun connection – he was shot nine times prior to making it big as a rapper, making the shooting a major part of his image.
50 Cent discovered the ad when it was brought to his attention by one of his management people. Lawyers representing Traffic Inc., the advertising company in question, said they haven’t received court papers yet and wouldn’t comment.
[via The Associated Press]
