Kanye West sued over claim of illegal sample on 'Donda 2'
Kanye West sued over claim of illegal sample on 'Donda 2'
Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2020. (Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
LOS ANGELES -
Rapper, producer and entrepreneur Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Ye last year, was sued on Wednesday for allegedly sampling a song by musician Marshall Jefferson without permission.
Ultra International Music Publishing LLC said "Flowers" from West's album "Donda 2" includes a sample from Jefferson's 1986 dance song "Move Your Body" that is repeated at least 22 times.
A representative for West did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did West's label Universal Music Group UMG.AS, which is not a party to the suit.
An attorney for Ultra International, which owns the rights to Jefferson's song, said the company had no comment and believes the lawsuit speaks for itself.
Jefferson is a pioneer of house music from West's hometown of Chicago. According to the lawsuit, West and his representatives acknowledged during talks with Jefferson that "Flowers" sampled "Move Your Body" without permission. But those talks did not end with a license, according to the lawsuit.
"West advocates for artists’ rights with one hand, yet has no shame in taking away rights from another artist with the other," the lawsuit said.
West released "Donda 2" in February exclusively through his Stem Player, a handheld device that allows users to isolate and recombine song parts.
Kano Computing Ltd, a British company that developed the Stem Player with West and is also named in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit said "Flowers" is reportedly about West's ex-wife Kim Kardashian, whose petition to end their marriage was approved in March.
Texas pastor David Paul Moten sued West in May for allegedly sampling one of his sermons without permission. Read full story
West has previously settled lawsuits over samples of a Hungarian singer on the 2013 song "New Slaves;" a child's prayer on the 2016 song "Ultralight Beam;" and a theater work about activist Marcus Garvey on "Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)," a 2018 collaboration with rapper Kid Cudi.
Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Alessandra Rafferty and Chris Reese
Statistics Canada says the year-over-year inflation rate slowed to 7.6 per cent in July as economists widely expected the pace of price increases to slow that month.
The next time the Bank of Canada raises interest rates on the scheduled date of September 7, 2022, it could potentially trigger a recession. Although there may be a chance that we don’t enter into a recession and the BoC is still hoping for a soft landing, it’s best to be prepared. Contributor Christopher Liew explains how.
Massive explosions and fires hit a military depot in Russia-annexed Crimea on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of more than 3,000 people, the second time in recent days that the Ukraine war's focus has turned to the peninsula.
One-quarter of front line employees surveyed at Canada's border agency said they had directly witnessed a colleague discriminate against a traveller in the previous two years.
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development of Canada Karina Gould is discouraging people from making fake travel plans just to skip the line of those waiting for passports.
Some energy experts warn a deal to sell Canadian hydrogen to Germany will serve as only a small, far-off and expensive part of the solution to Europe's energy crisis.
While many Canadians don’t support moving away from the metric system of measurement, many continue to use imperial measurements in their daily lives, according to a recent online poll.
Two of the people behind an accusation of political interference in the investigation of the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia will be before a House of Commons committee Tuesday.
The fatal film-set shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin last year was an accident, according to a determination made by New Mexico's Office of the Medical Investigator following the completion of an autopsy and a review of law enforcement reports. The medical investigator's report was made public Monday by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office along with numerous reports from the FBI on the revolver and ammunition that were collected following the shooting.
Statistics Canada says the year-over-year inflation rate slowed to 7.6 per cent in July as economists widely expected the pace of price increases to slow that month.
Two of the people behind an accusation of political interference in the investigation of the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia will be before a House of Commons committee Tuesday.
The next time the Bank of Canada raises interest rates on the scheduled date of September 7, 2022, it could potentially trigger a recession. Although there may be a chance that we don’t enter into a recession and the BoC is still hoping for a soft landing, it’s best to be prepared. Contributor Christopher Liew explains how.
Canada's average resale home price fell 4.5% from a year ago in July and was down 5.4% on the month as buyers continued to sit on the sidelines amid rising borrowing costs.
For the second time in less than a month, a resident of Ashcroft, B.C., died while waiting for health care after having a heart attack mere metres from a local ambulance station.
Massive explosions and fires hit a military depot in Russia-annexed Crimea on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of more than 3,000 people, the second time in recent days that the Ukraine war's focus has turned to the peninsula.
The international community needs to step up to hold the Taliban accountable for human rights abuses in Afghanistan, a year after the militant Islamist group took control of the country and limited the rights of women and girls, according to Heather Barr, associate director of the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch.
A Chinese navy vessel arrived at a Beijing-built port in southern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, after its port call was earlier delayed due to apparent security concerns raised by India.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of trying to encourage extended hostilities in Ukraine as part of what he described Tuesday as Washington's alleged efforts to maintain its global hegemony.
Kenya was calm on Tuesday, a day after Deputy President William Ruto was declared the winner of the narrow presidential election over longtime opposition figure Raila Odinga -- a vote closely watched in the East African country that has been crucial to regional stability.
The United States and South Korea will begin their biggest combined military training in years next week in the face of an increasingly aggressive North Korea, which has been ramping up weapons tests and threats of nuclear conflict against Seoul and Washington, the South Korean military said Tuesday.
One-quarter of front line employees surveyed at Canada's border agency said they had directly witnessed a colleague discriminate against a traveller in the previous two years.
The German government on Friday issued a statement confirming the agreement will be signed Aug. 23 in Stephenville, where a Newfoundland based company plans to build a zero-emission plant that will use wind energy to produce hydrogen for export.
British drug regulators have become the first in the world to authorize an updated version of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine that aims to protect against the original virus and the omicron variant.
For the second time in less than a month, a resident of Ashcroft, B.C., died while waiting for health care after having a heart attack mere metres from a local ambulance station.
Bill Gates on Tuesday called for South Korea to become more involved in international efforts to prevent infectious diseases like COVID-19 as he stressed the need for the world to be better prepared for the next pandemic.
Last month was the Earth’s sixth-warmest July on record in 143 years, according to the U.S. federal agency that studies oceans, the atmosphere, and coastal areas.
The fatal film-set shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin last year was an accident, according to a determination made by New Mexico's Office of the Medical Investigator following the completion of an autopsy and a review of law enforcement reports. The medical investigator's report was made public Monday by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office along with numerous reports from the FBI on the revolver and ammunition that were collected following the shooting.
The next time the Bank of Canada raises interest rates on the scheduled date of September 7, 2022, it could potentially trigger a recession. Although there may be a chance that we don’t enter into a recession and the BoC is still hoping for a soft landing, it’s best to be prepared. Contributor Christopher Liew explains how.
Statistics Canada says the year-over-year inflation rate slowed to 7.6 per cent in July as economists widely expected the pace of price increases to slow that month.
Factors beyond your control, like inflation or supply chain shortages, can limit your access to the things you need and make it harder to achieve your financial goals.
Amid high inflation and rising cost of living, a person's relationship status can impact their finances. There are five ways in which flying solo can put you at a financial disadvantage and a few ways to mitigate them.
Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Peter Foran takes his wife Janice for romantic rides on his wheelchair. They travel along Vancouver's bike lanes and waterfront paths, with her sitting sideways across his lap.
Montreal's Eugenie Bouchard returns to the hardcourt this week following a 17-month layoff. The former fifth ranked player in the world is taking part in the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open WTA 125 event.
A test car with autonomous steering capability veered into oncoming traffic in Germany, killing one person and seriously injuring nine others, police said Tuesday.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation has opened a query into seat belt pretensioners on certain 2020-2022 Kia/Hyundai vehicles, saying that they may rupture or explode.
A cleaning service employee who was working at a General Motors plant in Michigan was killed Thursday during an altercation with a co-worker, authorities said.
Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2020. (Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
