Rapper OsamaSon Says Iron Maiden is Suing Him

Budding rapper OsamaSon is claiming to be under fire from one of heavy metal's biggest names: Iron Maiden. The band is reportedly suing OsamaSon for the cover art of the deluxe version of his album, Flex Musix (FLXTRA.)

In an Instagram story, OsamaSon posted a blank screen and wrote "@ironmaiden is suing me so......cover is gone."

The album cover for Flex Musix (FLXTRA) is strikingly similar to Iron Maiden's own 1985 album, Powerslave, whose artwork features the band's mascot, Eddie. Eddie appears throughout the band's album and single covers, and is included at concerts. The character even has his own video games: Ed Hunter and Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast.

British artist Derek Riggs drew the Eddie illustration after the band shifted from using a papier-mâché mask to represent the mascot. Gibson deemed Eddie the "most recognizable metal icon in the world and one of the most versatile too." Slipknot's Corey Taylor once said that "there wasn't a dude that I hung out with that wasn't trying to draw Eddie on their school books."

On the cover of Powerslave, the character is mummified with two large gold cuffs on his arms, attached to chains that Eddie is biting down on. He has a spooky, angry smile and beaming blue eyes that match the cover's blue background. The album's title and "IRON MAIDEN" are written in all capitals across the top of the image.

Flex Musix (FLXTRA) showcases an Eddie-ified version of OsamaSon. He sports the same cuffs, chains and menacing smile. This rendition of Eddie has OsamaSon's hair and glowing pinky-purple eyes instead of blue. The background is swapped from Powerslave's different shades of blue to a contrasting pink and black. OsamaSon's cover lacks the text of Iron Maiden's. In both album covers, lightning strikes behind the figure, splintering throughout the image.

X users, responding to a tweet from Metal Injection, reacted to the announcement of OsamaSon's being sued without much surprise.

"I wonder why," posted one user. Another picked apart the album cover, writing "The lighting is the same...The chairs are the same...even the broken link on the right side. The nose is the same. The hands are the same."

One netizen joked at Iron Maiden's decision to sue the rapper, writing "There's nothing more metal than intellectual property laws!"

Reddit users claim that it wasn't OsamaSon who designed the cover, but rather his creative director, stumnic. OsamaSon has not confirmed or denied his involvement in creating the Flex Musix (FLXTRA) artwork.

"His creative director is also known for not having many original ideas, almost all of his work is a pull of something else," wrote one user.

Another quipped that "'Creative director' is honestly stretching it. stunmic literally has said he only uses picsart for every design he's ever made, which is an iPhone app."

Neither Iron Maiden nor legal representatives for the band have come forward and made any statement regarding Flex Music (FLXTRA) or OsamaSon.

Tags

Iron Maiden, Lawsuit