Nicki Minaj has been hit with a $30 million lawsuit.
Her former hair stylist, Terrence Davidson, filed suit Friday in Atlanta alleging that Nicki not only stole his wig designs, but also cost him a potential reality show deal.
According to the complaint, Terrence started working for Nicki as her hair stylist in January 2010. He says he began making wigs for her which she would then select for her appearances.
At the time Nicki was an upcoming star who had steadily built her fan base by appearing as a guest rapper on mix tapes and projects by her label mates at Young Money Entertainment. She quickly became known as the first lady of Young Money.
She also became well known for her sense of style, including a multitude of wigs ranging from platinum blonde to pink.
Both Terrence and his attorney, Christopher Chestnut, appeared on CNN to discuss the suit.
“I see these wigs online,” said Terrence. “People are basically duplicating what I created for Nicki Minaj.”
“Nicki Minaj is reaping great success and financial bounty reward for Terrence’s creative expertise, and he is entitled to participate in that,” Chestnut said. “Someone’s got to stand up for the artist. We applaud the fact that she’s making millions, but she’s also got to pay bounty to those whose creative designs she’s making millions off of.”
In his suit, Terrence says he designed several wigs for Nicki, including the “Pink Upper Bun Wig,” the “Fox Fur Wig,” and the “Half Blonde-Half Pink Wig” that she wore in appearances, including the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards preshow. He says there were plans for them to launch a wig line together and discussions about a possible reality show.
But by 2012, the suit claims, “Minaj and her agents became mum about the business ventures and took active steps to isolate Mr. Davidson and preclude him from the notoriety he deserved for his wig designs.”
“On its face you might think, what this guy is suing over wigs,” Terrence’s attorney Chestnut said. “But we really have to consider this in context. Hair is a multibillion-dollar industry, but moreover these are not your grandma’s wigs. These are eclectic. They are decadent, and they are creative. This is about a brand that Terrence has built.”
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