Bobby Brown’s sister is denying getting a cut of the $85,000 that Kanye West paid to use the photo of Whitney Houston’s drug-littered bathroom as the cover art for Pusha T’s new album.
Tina Brown, sister of Whitney’s ex-husband Bobby, told the Blast that she had sold the photo to the National Enquirer in 2006. The publication owned the rights to the photo.
“Kanye West did not purchase the picture from me or my son [Shayne Brown],” she said.
Pusha T confirmed in an interview last week that West spent $85,000 to buy the photo of the legendary singer’s drug-den bathroom to use as the cover the DAYTONA album. West was the producer of the album, and he changed its artwork at the last minute to the controversial photo.
Brown admits that she snapped the photo during a “low and self-destructive” period in her life and that she deeply regrets it. She also says that Houston was by her side when she took the photo.
“Together, she and I decided to take the pictures in the bathroom and share with the world, the pain we were going through,” she said. “It was a united cry for help.”
She also insists that taking and selling the photo was not a betrayal of Houston, and they remained “the best of friends and sisters” until her death in 2012
Bobby Brown also spoke out against the photo’s use this week, saying he wanted to slap Kanye West for licensing it.
“That’s really disgusting that he would do that,“ he said. ”Something should happen to Kanye. He’s already crazy. I knew that when I first met him. Now he’s pushing the bar a little bit. He needs somebody to slap him up or something. And I’m just the person to do it.”