The cousin of Whitney Houston is speaking out against Kanye West’s decision to purchase and use a photo of the late singer’s drug-covered bathroom as the cover for rapper Pusha T’s new album.
“I’ve watched the train wreck happening, but I didn’t think he’d go this far in invading someone’s family privacy,” Damon Elliott told People. referencing West’s recent scandals. Elliott is the son of the legendary Dionne Warwick.
Pusha T confirmed in an interview earlier this week that West spent $85,000 to buy a controversial photo that showcased the legendary singer’s drug-den bathroom to use as the cover for Pusha T’s DAYTONA album. West was the producer of the album, and he changed its artwork at the last minute to the controversial photo
“To do something for a publicity stunt to sell records, it’s absolutely disgusting,” Elliott said. “It hurt my family and my daughter. It’s petty. It’s tacky.”
Elliott also confirmed that West had not reached out to the Houston family before, or even after the release.
“I just want him to tell me why he did it,” says Elliott. “What is the creative side of this? What’s the point? It shows no creativity.”
He continued: “What were you thinking? Did you think this through? And if you did, why did you do this? Because you’re hurting people. It knocked the wind out of me last night. When someone passes, you try to mourn and move on and remember the good times.”
“Why are you going to pay $85,000 to bring something to the forefront?” he asks.
Given the general silence from the Houston estate, it is not clear if West bought the photo’s rights from the family or the National Enquirer. The tabloid first printed the photo back in 2006.
Houston was known to struggle with drug addiction. She found dead in a bathtub at The Beverly Hilton hotel in 2012.
