Photo Credit: Karina Carvalho
Kanye West is no stranger to sampling songs for his music—but his antisemitic behavior has resulted in more pushback over the years. He’s a prolific unlicensed sampler, resulting in at least 14 cases being filed against him. Here’s a peek at some of the legal action surrounding Ye’s ‘sample first, get permission later’ attitude.
Several of Kanye’s most well-known songs were involved in sampling disputes, including “Gold Digger” and “Bound 2.” Other samples were still used willfully by Kanye, despite being denied permission to use the sample. Most of these lawsuits end up in private settlement so it’s impossible to say the outcome—though others have resulted in tracks being removed.
Not mentioned are several cases in which an unlicensed sample was objected to by an artist, but no legal action was brought forward for various reasons.
The Long History of Kanye’s Sampling Fiascos
In May 2008, Joe Farrell’s daughter, Kathleen Firrantello, accused Kanye of sampling “Upon This Rock” (1974) for West’s track “Gone.” She sought damages of up to $1,000,000 and demanded no more copies of that song be made or distributed. The case also implicated three others rappers—Common in “Chi-City,” and Method Man and Redman’s “Run 4 Cover.” Kanye settled with Firrantello in 2010.
In 2010, British musician Aphex Twin claimed that Kanye attempted to use a sample of his piano melody in “Avril 14th” without compensation. West’s team sent him an early version of the song “Blame Game” with a time-stretched sample of “Avril 14th.” Aphex Twin offered to re-record the piece at a different tempo to improve the quality. West’s team responded “It’s not yours, its ours, and we’re not even asking you anymore.”
In October 2011, blues and soul artist Syl Johnson accused West and Jay-Z of sampling “Different Strokes” (1967) for their song “The Joy.” Johnson says the sample was used without permission, credit, or compensation. He also stated that Kanye had previously sought permission for the song but was denied—making the copyright infringement willful. This case was settled for an undisclosed amount in 2012.
In April 2013, two family members of David Pryor sued West, claiming his track “Gold Digger” used an unauthorized sample from “Bumpin’ Bus Stop” (1975). Pryor passed away in 2006 and it took six years for his estate to wind its way through probate. This case was eventually dismissed in 2014 on grounds that the sample used was ‘de minimis’—too short it doesn’t count as copyright infringement.
In December 2013, Ricky Spicer of the group Ponderosa Twins Plus One sued Kanye for sampling the group’s song “Bound” for his own track, “Bound 2.” By May 2015, Spicer reached a deal with West to settle this case outside of court for an undisclosed amount.
In May 2016, Gábor Presser of the Hungarian rock band Omega sued the rapper for sampling “Gyöngyhajú Lány“ (1969) on his track “New Slaves.” Presser sought $2,500,000, stating that Yeezy’s representatives offered a $10,000 check after the start of The Yeezus tour to resolve the issue. A trial for this case was due to begin on May 15, 2017—but ultimately Ye settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
In February 2019, the parents of Natalie Green sued Kanye for illegally using a clip of Green’s voice at the beginning of the song “Ultralight Beam.” West sought permission from Green’s birth mother, but as she was no longer the legal parent of the child, she could not clear the sample. The case was settled in November 2020 for $350,000.
In March 2019, actor Ronald Oslin Bobb-Semple claimed that West and Kid Cudi’s track “Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)” illegally sampled his 2002 one-man show without providing credit or compensation. West admitted to sampling the show, but claimed fair use. In January 2020, Bobb-Semple and West settled the suit for an undisclosed amount.
In August 2021, gospel singer Briana Babineaux said she was unaware that her vocals from “Make Me Over” were sampled in the Kanye song, “Lord I Need You.” The owner of the song B. Slade pushed back on Babineaux’s claims, stating West had cleared the sample with him as the rightful owner of the song.
In May 2022, Texas pastor David P. Moten sued Kanye for using a minute of his recorded sermon, “Come to Life.” The case for this copyright infringement is still active and is slated to go to trial on June 2025.
In June 2022, Ultra International sued West for sampling “Move Your Body” (1986) by Marshall Jefferson in his song “Flowers.” West settled this suit in May 2023 for an undisclosed amount.
In November 2022, music company Phase One Network accused West of sampling Boogie Down Productions’ song “South Bronx” for his song with Andre 3000, “Life of the Party.” The company alleges that West submitted and then retracted a clearance request in 2021. In August 2024, both sides settled for an undisclosed amount.
In July 2024, a music company called Artist Revenue Advocates sued West for using their instrumental song “MSD PT2” in both “Hurricane” and “Moon.” This case is still pending in California fedearl court.
In February 2024, Ozzy Osbourne threatened legal action over a sample of the Black Sabbath song “Iron Man” appearing on Kanye’s track “Carnival from the Vultures 1 album. Osbourne stated he refused to clear the sample due to Kanye’s antisemitism. West removed the sample efrom the track and replaced it with a different sample for which he did have clearance from a prior use.
Kanye also faced legal action from the Donna Summer estate for interpolating “I Feel Love” (1977) on their song “Good (Don’t Die).” The Summer estate denied his request to sample saying they did not want to be associated with West after his numerous antisemitic scandals. West and the Summer estate reached a settlement in June 2024. Part of the terms of that settlement was the track was removed from the Vultures 1 album.
In November 2024, several hip-hop artists from Memphis sued West and Ty Dolla Sign for sampling “Drank a Yak (Part 2)” (1994) in their song “Fuk Sumn.” The artists claim to have participated in talks for sample clearance, but negotiations were stalled due to the turnover of Kanye’s employees after his antisemitic rants. This case is still pending.
Finally, German singer-songwriter Alice Merton is suing Kanye for his unauthorized sample of her song “Blindside” in his track “Gun to My Head.” That lawsuit was filed on Marh 25, 2025. Merton says Kanye asked permission to sample the song in February 2024, but she denied the sample because she did not want to be associated with him. “The artist’s values are contrary to our values.” That case is still ongoing.
