Jennifer Lopez Sued by Bronx Graffiti Artists after Faked Bronx Fiat Commercial

Jennifer Lopez has come under a blaze of fiery criticism as of late, all circulating around her multi-million dollar deal with Fiat.

The Bronx-native shot several commercials advertising the Fiat 500, including one showcasing a cruise through her New York hometown.

The commercial has since sparked a copyright dispute involving a Bronx-based graffiti crew, TATS Cru, whose work is displaying multiple times in the ad. The muralists claim the works, including a design that reads I Heart the Bronx, were used without permission, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

That's enough, said crew member Wilfredo Feliciano. This has happened to us in the past, and it's not cool. We had to do something about it.

Everyone started congratulating us on the commercial and we're like, what commercial? Feliciano told The New York Post, adding that they have hired a lawyer. According to said lawyer, Stacey Richman, both the advertising agency and Chrysler, a subsidiary of Fiat, have yet to respond.

Despite the fact that Lopez and her PR agency would like audiences to believe the 42-year-old singer took time to head back to her roots, The Smoking Gun revealed that Lopez actually never once step foot in the Bronx during the filming of the Fiat ads.

For the footage shot in the Bronx, Fiat used a body double. The Lopez lookalike cruised through the streets while Lopez herself was in Los Angeles.

The Smoking Gun reported that Big Block, a Los Angeles digital production studio, was hired to edit the live action footage with digitally-generated imagery to make it appear to viewers as if Lopez was in the NY borough.

The ruse tricked many an audience member, from the Average Joe to The Wall Street Journal. The press release for the commercials, entitled My World, states that Lopez explores her personal take on how life in the New York City borough continues to inspire her to be tougher, to stay sharper and to think faster.

Lopez faced reproach after performing at the 2011 American Music Awards. Her performance included a Fiat vehicle in the center of the stage, which was the focal point of her dance routines.

Critics are accused the Latina pop star of showcasing a glorified Fiat commercial Sunday night, only amping up the raunch factor with some scandalous moves.

Even fellow artists took to Twitter to complain about the bit.

Yo. I know I didn't just see that dumb Fiat. I KNOW I didn't just see that friggin' Fiat, tweeted QuestLove, from The Roots.

In response, John Legend tweeted back: That had to be the most shameless thing I've ever seen in a performance. I was genuinely shocked.

Lopez was slammed by media outlets for flagrantly promoting Fiat, a brand that she is a spokes model for.

Jennifer Lopez gave what will surely be the most cringe-inducing, embarrassing performance of the night, wrote The Los Angeles Times. It wasn't that Lopez wasn't really wearing any clothes, as audiences expect that nowadays. Instead, it was Lopez's choice of an accessory, which in this case was a car. When the actual commercial ran not too long after the performance, the only difference was the emphasis on the name of the brand.