Whitney Houston’s cousin has slammed rapper Kanye West for buying a photograph of the late singer’s drug-strewn bathroom to use as an album cover.
In an interview to People, Damon Elliott spoke about the rapper’s decision to spend $85,000 (Dh312,192) on a photograph that depicted Houston’s bathroom covered in spoons and drug paraphernalia for Pusha T’s album Daytona, which West produced.
Elliott says he didn’t find out about the album artwork until his daughter called him.
“[She was] frantic. She sent me this picture from the album cover and I immediately got sick to my stomach because it took me right back to six years ago,” Elliot said.
“I was actually in shock because I’m in the music business,” he continues, adding he had worked with Kanye, 40, on a Keyshia Cole song.
“I’ve watched the train wreck happening, but I didn’t think he’d go this far in invading someone’s family privacy,” said Elliott, referencing West’s recent scandals on social media.
“To do something for a publicity stunt to sell records, it’s absolutely disgusting. It hurt my family and my daughter. It’s petty. It’s tacky,” he added.
The producer said he didn’t hear from the rapper before he licensed the photograph nor after the news broke.
“I just want him to tell me why he did it. What is the creative side of this? What’s the point? It shows no creativity,” Elliot said.
He says he wants an apology from West, as well as a promise to switch out the album’s artwork with something else.
