Kanye West sued for unauthorized use of sample in 'Donda' bonus track 'Life of the Party'
'Life of the Party', Kanye West's collaboration with Andre 3000, has cost him a lawsuit now. The case was brought by the record label Boogie Down Productions, home to well-known rappers like KRS-One.
The company claims ownership of the rights to BDP's diss track 'South Bronx' and asserts that Ye was never given the authorization to sample the song when he released the 'Donda' bonus track on the Stem Player, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ. The company claims Ye and his partner Alex Klein made about $2.2 million from the sale of 11K Stem Players on the first day of its release, and they deny ever giving permission to use the sample, although they claim Ye's team originally tried to obtain a license for it. The lawsuit claims that no agreement was ever reached and that Ye's side ultimately withdrew its offer to license it.
READ MORE
The lawsuit alleges that Ye and Company continued to actively publicize the track that utilized the 'South Bronx' sample to stimulate the purchase of 'Donda' and the Stem Player. Drake had shared the sample song first after he unexpectedly reunited with Ye at J Prince's 'Free Larry Hoover' concert. The record label wants Ye and the company to turn over any revenues made from the track and is now attempting to stop any further usage of it in the track.
West, who has been making headlines for a while now due to his numerous provocative antics, was almost fined $1 billion for a trademark infringement. In October, controversy erupted when West and Naomi Campbell attended Paris Fashion Week wearing White Lives Matter t-shirts.
West hasn't been able to sell the "White Lives Matter" shirts in the US since he doesn't have the rights to do so, and given he is no longer a billionaire, obtaining them might prove a challenge. West lost a substantial number of business partnerships, including those with Adidas and Balenciaga, as a result of his antisemitic outbursts.
The trademark owners also claimed that West hasn't contacted them over the rights. Adding to Ye's woes, one of the trademark owners, Ramses Ja, asserted that their attorneys would file a lawsuit against West if he tried to sell any of his shirts.