Kanye West is no stranger to controversy, but his latest album, Vultures 1, a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign has landed him in another legal trouble.
The estate of disco legend Donna Summer has filed a lawsuit against the rapper, claiming he sampled her hit song, “I Feel Love,” without permission.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in New York, alleges that West used a soundalike to interpolate Summer’s song on his track, GOOD (DON’T DIE), which features Ty Dolla $ign.
The estate claims that West had previously sought to clear the sample, but was rejected by Summer’s representatives on Jan. 31, 2024. However, he went ahead and released the song anyway, as part of his joint project with Ty Dolla $ign, Vultures 1, on Feb. 2, 2024.
Donna Summer’s estate argues that Kanye West’s interpolation of “I Feel Love” is “substantially similar” to the original song. That infringes on their exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, and display Summer’s work.
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For this reason, they are seeking unspecified damages, as well as an injunction to prevent West from further exploiting the song.
Kanye West has not publicly commented on the lawsuit, but he reportedly removed the song from the album shortly after its release.
The song was one of the highlights of the album, which received critical acclaim and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
Kanye West takes on Adidas
Meanwhile, Kanye West, has called out Adidas for releasing “fake Yeezys”, and using his name on unapproved colorways, while unfairly suing him over business differences.
The 46-year-old rapper expressed his approval of how the company acted and claimed they took advantage of him. Describing their new release as “corny”, he added that anyone who loves him would not buy those “fake” products.
The All Of The Lights creator also revealed that aside from not being able to see his children, his latest album, Vultures 1, has been removed from streaming services.
