Lil Uzi Vert isn’t done referencing Heaven’s Gate just yet.
A month after surviving members of the cult slammed the rapper, 24, for the purported Heaven’s Gate-inspired cover of his upcoming album, “Eternal Atake,” the artwork for Uzi’s new single features another reference to the group.
Released early Tuesday morning, the artwork for “New Patek” features the rapper reaching through a keyhole — a symbol associated with the infamous suicide cult and featured prominently in its logo.
When reached for comment by Page Six, the Telah Foundation, which is made up of surviving Heaven’s Gate members who were left behind to answer media inquiries about the cult, explained that their lawyers have been in touch with the rapper.
“Our attorneys are working with him on direct and clear infringement of trademarks, copyrights and use of logo,” they told us via email. “We are also dealing with expressions of ‘Fair Use’ which is cited when this kind of image is displayed. The artist has to be careful to not make full use of the spirit and meaning of the Group while altering images of it to make it look like he isn’t infringing.
“We will see what can be sorted out. It is in the hands of attorneys.”
Asked if this meant they were trying to reach an agreement with the rapper that would benefit both parties, they responded, “That is our hope.”
In early August, an image reported to be the cover for “Eternal Atake” started circulating online that bore a strong resemblance to the Heaven’s Gate logo. The Telah Foundation voiced its discontent with the artwork and even threatened legal action.
Shortly afterward, in a since-deleted Instagram post, Uzi shared what was believed to be an alternate version of the cover that featured an anime-inspired drawing of himself wearing a T-shirt with a black keyhole symbol on it.
Originally formed in San Diego in the mid-1970s, Heaven’s Gate gained worldwide notoriety in 1997 after several of the group’s members — 20 women and 19 men, ranging between the ages of 26 and 72 — participated in a mass suicide after the Comet Hale Bop passed the earth, in hopes of catching a ride on a spacecraft they believed was trailing the celestial object. Among the dead was the cult’s founder, Marshall Applewhite, whose face Uzi was using as his Instagram avatar in August.
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