Rick Ross' cover story for the May issue of XXL was meant to be his hip-hop media comeback, an attempt to quash the corrections officer thing and clear the air on his beef with 50. The thrust of the article is made clear by Ross' cover line quote: "I've never had a problem with credibility and still don't."
The realness, however, does not always extend to his wardrobe, it turns out. XXL posted a letter on their web site yesterday from Louis Vuitton headquarters -- apparently, those gold-rimmed shades Ross sports in the photo are knockoffs!
The rivers of haterade are audibly flowing! Most everybody's bought knockoff junk, but most everybody does not base nearly their entire career on bragging about wealth. Rick Ross' recent single was called "Maybach Music" -- a Maybach car starts, on the low end, at about $350,000. Meanwhile, a pair of Louis Vuitton mens' sunglasses costs, at full retail price, a comparatively low average of about $500.
Read the full letter from Louis Vuitton to XXL after the jump.
Dear Editor:
We were dismayed to see the cover of the May 2009 issue of XXL
Magazine, which features a photo of Rick Ross wearing a pair of
sunglasses prominently featuring counterfeit Louis Vuitton trademarks.
Because the photo has generated considerable confusion among your
readers and Louis Vuitton customers among others, we feel it is
important to clarify several points.
The first is that the sunglasses Mr. Ross is wearing were not made
by Louis Vuitton, and in fact, are counterfeit. Louis Vuitton did not
grant permission to Mr. Ross or to whoever did make the sunglasses to
use our trademarks. The second is that no affiliation, sponsorship or
association exists between Rick Ross or XXL and Louis Vuitton. The
third is that counterfeiting is illegal.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to correct the confusion.
Sincerely,
Michael D. Pantalony, Esq.
Louis Vuitton Malletier
