A courtroom drama brews in Atlanta as Future’s mixtape cover art turns into a copyright war
Hip-hop royalty meets legal battle. Future is now being sued for allegedly using a photograph of the Dungeon Family’s legendary house without permission as the cover for his 2024 release Mixtape Pluto, plus on merchandise tied to it.
Photographer Garey C. Gomez is leading the charge. He claims that neither Future nor his affiliated companies ever licensed the image. Yet that very photo, shot inside The Dungeon basement studio in East Point, Georgia, wound up front-and-center on Pluto’s cover and on fan gear.
Named as codefendants are Titol Retail, LLC and Wilburn Holding Company, Inc., both tied to Future’s Freebandz imprint. Gomez says he reached out in October 2023 to try to settle this quietly, but no deal was struck.
He’s not messing around. He wants damages, the profits made from the image, and an injunction stopping the further use of that photo.
Here’s where it gets spicy. The Dungeon holds mythic status in Southern rap lore. It’s where Organized Noize cooked up hits and where early versions of Future’s sound were forged. Big Boi owns the house now and has even opened it up for new artists as a shrine to that era.
Mixtape Pluto isn’t some underground drop. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 200, marking yet another chart victory for Future in a year crowded with wins. Using a photo etched in rap history on a blockbuster release but skipping permission? That flips the script on “paying homage.”
Future’s defense is still under wraps. But the lawsuit calls into question deeper issues, ownership, legacy, respect, and creative control. Is it reinterpretation or appropriation? Tribute or theft?
Pluto’s sound soared. But now the art has become the arena. The hip-hop world is watching. The Dungeon family’s echo is in the line of fire.
