Ye is back in the news and this time, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West is facing more legal troubles. The artist finds himself in the headlines for a new copyright infringement lawsuit brought onto him by DJ Khalil and three other artists regarding two tracks on the DONDA album.
According to the suit filed yesterday by the Artist Revenue Advocates (ARA) on behalf of Khalil, Sam Barsh, Dan Seef and Josh Mease, the four musicians are collectively seeking justice for two songs, “Moon” and “Hurricane,” the later which has won a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance in 2022. The four have worked with other big name artists in the past, including and not limited to the likes of Eminem, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd.
According to Bloomberg Law, the situation began in 2018 when the group of them collaborated on ideas and placed them in a composer pack and made them available for purchase to potential buyers. Amongst those interested was Ye who allegedly requested to use their work for “Hurricane.” The issue escalated as Ye’s request was denied, yet it was still used. The four artists are accusing Ye of using the work regardless of not approving the request to do so and even releasing the music and crediting the same artists as if they had been in agreement. They lawsuit claimed it was was “in an act of blatant brazenness” and added that “this lawsuit […] is about the rights of artists, musicians, and songwriters to determine how their works are published and used.”
ARA is asking for a trial by jury and points out a list of revenue that Ye has made by releasing the songs. In total, they claim that “Hurricane” and “Moon” earned at least $15 million USD in streaming revenue as of March 1, 2024 and that by playing the songs at listening events, it generated about $14 million USD from merchandise sales. They are also claiming that Ye has indirectly profited from the partnerships with Gap and Balenciaga, which were connected to the album, claiming exploitation of the tracks. The suit is naming Ye as well as Universal Music Group, G.O.O.D. Music, Yeezy LLC and Universal Music Group.
Ye is no stranger to copyright infringement claims. For his first Vultures album this year, Donna Summer’s estate sued and later settled with Ye for interpolating “I Feel Love,” while Ozzy Osbourne has threatened legal action over a sample of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.”
