Chris Brown Accused of Plagiarizing Social Media Artists in 'Wobble Up' Video
Chris Brown's music video for 'Wobble Up', featuring Nicki Minaj and G-Eazy, has sparked accusations of plagiarism from multiple visual artists on Instagram. German photographer Marius Sperlich first noticed that a graphic of a buttock-shaped island with a palm tree in the video closely resembled his own work. After calling out Brown on Instagram, other creators came forward, including graphic designer Tony Futura and English art director Vanessa McKeown, claiming their imagery was used without permission. This is not Brown's first such controversy; in 2018, he removed a post featuring a cartoon by Brazilian illustrator Gabriel Picolo after being called out. The incident has reignited calls for stronger copyright protections on social media, with artists using the hashtag #changeindustry to demand better safeguards for their work. The video is a colorful celebration of twerking and female glutes, but critics say it borrows heavily from independent creators without credit or compensation.
Key facts
- Chris Brown's 'Wobble Up' video accused of plagiarizing works by Marius Sperlich, Tony Futura, and Vanessa McKeown.
- Marius Sperlich is a German photographer who first noticed the similarity to his graphic of a buttock-shaped island with a palm tree.
- Tony Futura is a young graphic designer whose work was allegedly used without permission.
- Vanessa McKeown is an English art director whose imagery was also allegedly copied.
- In 2018, Brown removed a post featuring a cartoon by Brazilian illustrator Gabriel Picolo after plagiarism accusations.
- The video features Nicki Minaj and G-Eazy and focuses on twerking and female glutes.
- Artists are using the hashtag #changeindustry to demand stronger copyright protections on social media.
- The controversy highlights the tension between social media inspiration and intellectual property rights.
Entities
Artists
- Chris Brown
- Nicki Minaj
- G-Eazy
- Marius Sperlich
- Tony Futura
- Vanessa McKeown
- Gabriel Picolo
Institutions
Locations
- United States
- Germany
- Brazil
- England