The 2013 hit "New Slaves" was the subject of controversy when a Hungarian composer claimed Kanye West illegally sampled his music in the song's outro. Gabor Presser sued West for $2.5 million. Thursday, Page Six reported that Yeezy reached a settlement out of court with Presser.
Sources say West was reluctant to testify under oath. They reached the agreement two days before the rapper was slated to be deposed in the case. Presser alleged that his 1969 hit, “Gyöngyhajú Lány” (“The Girl with Pearly Hair”) was sampled a full 85 seconds -- "New Slaves" is four minutes and 16 seconds long.
Presser only learned about the unauthorized sampling on May 17, 2013 -- five days after the rapper had started using it in a promotion campaign. The Hungarian rock star said a West attorney emailed him saying the rapper, "would like to work out a deal with you as soon as possible" -- which meant within the next 48 hours.
"West’s attorneys were apparently concerned about the upcoming video projection performances of the New Composition scheduled for May 24, 2013," Presser said. He allowed the rapper to use the song for his promotional campaign as long as they cut a deal in the foreseeable future. West's lawyers then sent him a $10,000 advance and said it obligated Presser "to consent to West’s unlawful use of the original composition."
Presser never took the advance and, and failing to come to terms with Ye, resigned to sue him in court.
