OsamaSon Alleges Legal Dispute with Iron Maiden Over 'Flex Musix' Album Artwork

A piece of album artwork by a rising hip-hop artist is at the centre of an alleged legal dispute with British heavy-metal titans, Iron Maiden.

The rapper, OsamaSon, posted on Instagram Stories on May 1st to say “Iron Maiden is suing me so… cover is gone,” while also tagging the band’s Instagram account. That news was also confirmed on the X (formerly Twitter) account of Kurrco, sharing the news of the lawsuit.

However looking at both the artwork for the deluxe edition of his album “Flex Musix,” there is good cause for Iron Maiden, a band very stanch with the use of intellectual property especially when it comes to their iconic mascot, Eddie. 

A look on the Global Brand Database shows many trademarks including Iron Maiden’s logo, their name and the term “Trooper” for entertainment and music purposes to name a few. 

OsamaSon’s album very much “draws influence” from the work of Derek Riggs for Iron Maiden’s 1984 album, “Powerslave,” right down to the being struck by lightning and chewing on the chain. 

The slight differences between the two come from the recolouring of the character on OsamaSon’s album cover and minor modifications made around the mouth. Other than that, you can make up your minds for yourselves if Iron Maiden has a point. 

OsamaSon, currently on his first headlining tour, has been one of hip-hop's rising stars since signing to Atlantic Records, earning over 7 million streams with his single “X & Sex.” 

The rapper also seems to have a penchant for the metal genre, or its aesthetic, with his logo very much in the spirit of extreme metal bands and wearing the shirt of brutal death metal band Facelift Deformation in one of his most recent videos.