Drake and PartyNextDoor Accused of Ripping off Freddie Gibbs and John River on New Album

Two artists have come forward with serious allegations against Drake and PartyNextDoor’s new collaborative album, claiming the duo appropriated their creative elements for $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. The Valentine’s Day release has sparked controversy over its cover art and title styling, with both Freddie Gibbs and John River asserting their work was copied without credit.

Freddie Gibbs took to social media to point out similarities between the album’s imagery and his own established brand. “Damn they even stole the rabbits too. I’m flattered,” the Indiana rapper posted on X, referencing the three cartoon rabbits featured on the new album’s cover. The 42-year-old artist has long incorporated rabbit imagery into his work since dubbing himself “big lord bunny rabbit” on 2018’s Automatic, with multiple tracks including “Big Boss Rabbit,” “Space Rabbit,” “Rabbit Vision,” and “Rabbit Island” featuring the motif.

The controversy extends beyond the rabbit imagery to the album’s stylized title. Fans quickly noted that the dollar sign alliteration in $ome $exy $ongs 4 U mirrors Gibbs’ 2022 album $oul $old $eparately. “Using the $$$ and rabbit from @FreddieGibbs is nasty work,” one supporter wrote in a post that Gibbs later reshared.

Meanwhile, Canadian rapper John River has raised his own concerns about the album’s cover art, specifically regarding its use of Mississauga’s Absolute World condominiums, known locally as the “Marilyn Monroe” towers. In a lengthy Instagram statement, River detailed his interactions with PartyNextDoor, writing, “PartyNextDoor wanted to get on a call after my video went viral in the country. On this call that lasted around 2 hours, he told me he watched the video 20x & me in front of the Monroe Towers was labelled new innovative & iconic. ‘Why are you getting this attention instead of me’ is exactly what he said.”

River further alleged that PartyNextDoor threatened to “blackball” him if he didn’t “pay homage,” stating the singer “was fixated on every aspect & detail of my video, the towers & my vision for the city.” He added, “I would never ever claim a free standing building as my own. Telling someone after obsessing over their work you want to be involved, dissecting it, being rejected & then stealing their identity & reselling it as your own is insane.”

The situation reportedly escalated when another unnamed OVO artist later approached River about the towers, asking detailed questions about his creative process and future plans. “This started when I was a teen & has been happening up to as recently as 6 months ago under the guise of admiration,” River wrote, adding that upon seeing the new album cover, “I got 12 texts on Tuesday around noon & then I saw the [PARTYNEXTDOOR] cover & I instantly knew what had happened (& been happening).”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John River (@realjohnriver)

In response to the brewing controversy, Gibbs further emphasized his point by reposting his 2022 $oul $old $eparately announcement and quote-tweeting it with “$$$4u” – directly referencing the abbreviated title of Drake and PartyNextDoor’s new album. The rabbit imagery has particular significance for Gibbs, as Exclaim notes it connects to the Playboy logo, a common symbol of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation, a street gang the rapper has referenced in his material. Neither Drake nor PartyNextDoor has publicly addressed these allegations.