Paris, 2022-06-30 10:51:13. He sued Kanye West over allegations of illegal sample in Donda 2
Los Angeles –
Rapper, producer and entrepreneur Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Yi last year, was sued Wednesday for allegedly sampling a song by musician Marshall Jefferson without permission.
Ultra International Music Publishing LLC said the song “Flowers” from West’s album “Donda 2” includes a sample of Jefferson’s 1986 dance song “Move Your Body” that has been repeated at least 22 times.
A representative for West did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did he respond to West Universal Music Group label UMG.AS, which is not a party to the lawsuit.
A lawyer for Ultra International, which owns the rights to Jefferson’s song, said the company had no comment and believed the lawsuit spoke for itself.
Jefferson is a house music pioneer from Chicago, West’s hometown. According to the lawsuit, West and his representatives admitted during conversations with Jefferson that Flowers took a sample of Move Your Body without permission. But those talks did not end with a license, according to the lawsuit.
“West defends the rights of artists with one hand, but is not shy about denying another artist with the other,” the lawsuit states.
West released “Donda 2” in February exclusively through the Stem Player, a handheld device that allows users to isolate and reassemble song parts.
Kano Computing Ltd, the British company that developed Stem Player with West and which is also named in the lawsuit, did not respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit said “Flowers” is said to relate to West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian, whose petition to end their marriage was approved in March.
Texas priest David Paul Moten sued West in May for allegedly taking samples from one of his sermons without permission. Read the full story
West previously settled lawsuits over samples from a Hungarian singer over the 2013 song “New Slaves”; Child’s prayer on the 2016 song “Light Ray”; and a stage work on activist Marcus Garvey in “Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)”, a 2018 collaboration with rapper Kid Cudi.
Covering by Blake Brittain in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Alessandra Rafferty and Chris Reese
Follow the latest industry updates only at Beautyfll .
