Terrence Davidson filed
suit Friday in district court in Atlanta alleging that the star not only
stole his wig designs, but also cost him a potential reality show deal
that he was discouraged from pursuing.
According to the
complaint, Davidson started working for Minaj -- whose real name is
Onika Maraj -- 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 Minaj was a
burgeoning 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, which includes superstar rappers Drake and Lil Wayne.
The female rapper also
became well known for her sense of style, including a multitude of wigs
ranging from platinum blonde to pink. She poses in an ensemble which
includes a pink wig on the cover of her platinum-selling debut album
"Pink Friday," released in November 2010.
Both Davidson and his
attorney, Christopher Chestnut, talked to CNN about his influence on
crafting Minaj's image as well as the fact that the rapper now sells wigs on her site based
on the designs Davidson says he created. The stylist said he discovered
the wigs were being marketed and sold after someone sent him a picture
and he began researching.
"I see these wigs
online," said Davidson, who has also worked with others in the industry,
including singer Patti LaBelle and rapper Remy Ma. "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, Davidson
says he designed several wigs for Minaj, 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 he and Minaj to launch a wig line 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," Davidson'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."
