The Roc-A-Fella logo – gaudy, cluttered, and awkwardly rendered – hasn’t aged especially well, but it appears to be causing Jay-Z a spot of bother.

The rapper is the subject of a $7m lawsuit, brought by the man who originally designed the insignia. Dwayne Walker, who created the image in 1995, claims he was promised 2% royalties on anything featuring the logo until the year 2015. Roc-A-Fella co-founders Damon Dash and Kareem Burke (himself in very serious trouble with the law) were also named in the lawsuit.

Walker was originally paid $3500 for designing the label. Roc-A-Fella have yet to comment on the legal action. Walker’s suit, meanwhile, makes some lofty claims for the image: ”The logo has become universally recognized as an iconic symbol of Jay-Z, one of the most successful recording artists in the history of popular music”. [via AllHipHop]