Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has found himself at the center of yet another copyright dispute. The rapper is being sued for allegedly sampling a 1975 soul track without permission on his 2022 album, Donda 2.
A legal complaint lodged in federal court on September 4 claims that the song "LORD LIFT ME UP" includes an unauthorized sample of “Just Out of My Reach,” a track by soul musician Sam Dees. The lawsuit is spearheaded by The GRC Trust, acting on behalf of Ginn Music Group, a catalog company based in Atlanta that manages the rights to Dees’ work.
According to the filed complaint, the defendants did not seek authorization from GRC prior to incorporating the composition into their project. It further contends that the defendants have been profiting from this unauthorized use, which infringes upon GRC’s rights.
The lawsuit targets Ye, his firm Yeezy LLC, and rapper Vory, who is featured on "LORD LIFT ME UP." Additionally, the complaint lists Kano Computing, a London-based technology firm, and its founder, Alex Klein, among the defendants. Kano collaborated with Ye to produce a branded Stem Player device, the exclusive platform for listening to Donda 2 upon its initial release in February 2022.
GRC is requesting a court order to halt further use of the contested track and seeks financial restitution, including any profits the defendants have earned from the infringement, as well as compensatory damages for GRC.
Representatives for Ye, Vory, and Kano have not yet responded to requests for comments regarding the lawsuit.
This latest claim is not the first instance of Ye facing scrutiny over copyright issues. Throughout his career, he has been involved in numerous lawsuits for allegedly utilizing uncleared samples. Previous disputes have included claims from various entities, ranging from the estate of Donna Summer to a pastor who asserted that his sermon was sampled on the original Donda album.
The current legal action is the second assertion of copyright infringement related to Donda 2. Earlier this year, a confidential settlement was reached regarding claims made by publisher Ultra International, which alleged that a sample from Marshall Jefferson’s 1986 house track “Move Your Body” was improperly used in the song “Flowers.”
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