Wednesday, 13 May 2009, 9:47 | Category : Uncategorized Tags : AllHipHop.com, Louis Vuitton, Rick Ross, XXL magazine

A “shades-gate” has sprung up around rapper Rick Ross after Louis Vuitton publically claimed that the sunglasses he wore on the May 2009 cover of XXL magazine were fake.

Ross says the frames were not phony, but rather “customized” with gold accents by Jacob Bernstein, aka “The Sunglasses Pimp,” reports AllHipHop.com.

“It’s the same thing as buying a Rolls Royce and having it tricked out; just because the product has been customized by me doesn’t take away from the fact that the frames are authentic Louis Vuitton Millionaires,” Bernstein told the Web site.

The controversy began on Monday when a rep for Louis Vuitton issued a statement distancing itself with XXL Magazine and Rick Ross over the glasses.