Kanye West has reportedly lost a lawsuit alleging that the artist used an uncleared sample belonging to four musicians during a live event.
Back in 2021, Kanye played the then-unreleased album Donda for nearly 40,000 fans during a listening party held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A version of the song Hurricane played during the event reportedly featured a sample of MSD PT2, a track created by four musicians.
Kanye West loses copyright lawsuit
Kanye West has reportedly been ordered to pay $438,558 in damages after losing a copyright lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that he infringed on other artists’ copyrights by playing an uncleared sample of their work during the 2021 listening party at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The rapper used a sample of MSD PT2 in his song Hurricane. The instrumental track was created by Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Sam Barsh, Josh Mease, and Dan Seeff. The instrumental dates back to 2018 and reportedly reached Kanye through a producer.
Kanye West later removed the sample from the final version of Hurricane when Donda was officially released. The four musicians were also added to the songwriting credits.
However, Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Sam Barsh, Josh Mease, and Dan Seeff argued that they were still owed compensation because the sample had already been used during the listening party broadcast. “There was no deal, no agreement, no licence, and no clearance,” Irene Lee, the lawyer representing the four musicians, argued in a Los Angeles court (via The Guardian).
The jury ultimately sided with the plaintiffs, who are now reportedly set to receive $438,558 in damages.
“I pride myself on giving people what they deserve,” Ye, who appeared in person during the hearing, said. “I feel like a lot of people try to take advantage of me. As I sit in this courtroom today, I just think people are trying to make more than they otherwise would because it’s me.”
This marks the second lawsuit Ye has reportedly lost this year after he previously paid $140,000 to a handyman who alleged he was not compensated for renovation work carried out at a Malibu mansion owned by the rapper.
