Photographer Sues Drake for Alleged Copyright Infringement in Music Video

On November 12, 2025, Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against rapper Drake (Aubrey Graham) in federal court. The lawsuit alleges that a key sequence in Drake's 2022 music video "What Did I Miss?" lifted from a photograph in Galimberti's 2020 book "The Ameriguns."

Both Galimberti's photo and the scene in Drake's video show men standing outside houses, surrounded by firearms laid out in parallel around swimming pools. Galimberti, who is known for his work with National Geographic, gained notoriety in 2022 for shooting a controversial Balenciaga campaign that portrayed children with sexually explicit objects.

The lawsuit draws a direct line between the Balenciaga controversy and Drake's "What Did I Miss?" video, in which Drake addressed the aftermath of his rap battle with Kendrick Lamar. Lamar had called Drake a "certified pedophile" on the diss track "Not Like Us," leading Drake to sue Universal Music Group for defamation, a case that was later dismissed.

Galimberti's attorney argues that Drake sought to "imply that he, like plaintiff, would be publicly exonerated" through the video's connection to the Balenciaga campaign. The lawsuit names Drake, his company OVO Sounds, as well as Republic Records and Universal Music Group as defendants.

Galimberti is seeking financial damages, describing the alleged infringement as "both an egregious violation of federal law and an affront to plaintiff, his livelihood, his legacy and to photographers everywhere."