Los Angeles, July 14 (IANS): American hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar is being sued over the cover art of his "The Blacker the Berry" single.

According to Bossip, an entertainment magazine, Lamar is accused of using a photograph featured in the artwork without its photographer Giordano Cipriani's permission, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Cipriani, a freelance photographer, took the photograph of a woman breastfeeding two children back in 2011 when he was on a trip to Africa. In the lawsuit he filed on July 10 in New York Federal Court, he claims that neither the rapper nor his team asked permission to use the image, or paid him for it.

He names Lamar, Top Dawg Entertainment, Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment as defendants in the suit; and is asking the judge to prevent the Grammy-winning Lamar from using the photograph.

Cipriani is also seeking $150,000 for each time the image was used and additional money to pay lawyer fees.

"The Blacker the Berry" appears on Lamar's latest chart-topping album "To Pimp a Butterfly" which arrived earlier this year.

Cipriani's photo was used to promote the single on the 28-year-old entertainer's video-streaming website YouTube and social-networking website Facebook page.