Former Child Pop Star Aaron Carter Stole an Image of Lions to Promote the Sale of $100 Bleached Hoodies, an Artist Says

Aaron Carter is the latest musician to be accused of using an
artist’s work without permission.

In a since-deleted tweet, the US rapper and former child pop
star included an image of an artwork by Jonas Jödicke
depicting two lions to promote the sale of bleached hoodies priced
at $100 each. When the Berlin-based digital artist called the
singer out on social media, Carter doubled down and offered to take
the issue to court.

“You should’ve taken it as a compliment dick a fan of MINE sent
this to me,” wrote Carter on Twitter. “This image has been made
public and im using it to promote my clothing line aaroncarter.com guess I’ll see you in small
claims court FUCKERY.”

The singer shared Jödicke’s heart-shaped artwork,
titled Brotherhood, which features two lions butting
heads, with a link to his online store. “Two lions at war can reach
an understanding,” Carter wrote in the tweet. “I have my lions den,
you have yours.”

When Jödicke realized his work was being used, he pointed out
that he had not granted Carter image permissions, and asked his
followers to reach out to the singer, seeking credit.

“My art is being commercially exploited by people on a daily
basis,” Jödicke wrote. “We artists have rights too!”

As of press time, Carter has not responded to requests for
comment.

This is not the first time Carter has been accused of using
images without permission. In a September Instagram post, he
said he was creating a necklace based on another picture of a lion
he claimed to have made himself. But on Twitter, Maldivian artist
Ali Shimhaq responded to Carter to say it was actually his own
work, made in 2014.

“Bro literally get over yourself,” Carter responded. “I bought the image and I own it.
And I touched it up and re rendered some colors. Fuck off snd srop
clout chasing. Or sue. Me. Fuck off.”

Since deleting the message that featured Jödicke’s art, Carter
has posted a new one featuring the work of artist Eli Klein, with a
link to the artist’s Twitter account. In the
comments, Klein wrote: “I’m cool with it. Glad for the
promotion!”

Carter, the younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, rose
to fame in the late 1990s with albums like Aaron’s Party
(Come Get It). But the 2010s were difficult years for the
singer, who filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and checked himself
into a rehab center four years later.

The post Former Child Pop Star Aaron Carter Stole an Image
of Lions to Promote the Sale of $100 Bleached Hoodies, an Artist
Says appeared first on artnet News.