Kanye West Under Fire For Allegedly Failing To Pay “Vultures” Producers

BY Caroline Fisher
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Pan Am Games: Closing Ceremony
Jul 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Recording artist Kanye West performs during the closing ceremony for the 2015 Pan Am Games at Pan Am Ceremonies Venue. Jeffrey Swinger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ye allegedly owes ten producers money.

Kanye West has faced no shortage of legal issues in recent months. Now, it looks like he could potentially face more sometime in the near future. According to a new Billboard report, various producers who worked on his joint projects Vultures 1 and 2 with Ty Dolla Sign allege that they've yet to be compensated. The first volume was released in February of this year, and the second dropped in August.

“We have clients who’ve produced music on the Vultures album(s) and have still not been paid for their services even though both albums have been released,” music attorney Bob Celestin alleged, per the outlet. “Presently, we have no idea when payment will be made, which is so unfortunate and unfair. You would think Ye would be more sensitive to this issue because he is a producer.” 

Ten Producers Accuse Kanye West Of Owing Them Money

News: Kanye West
February 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Paul McCartney Kanye West and Rihanna perform "FouFiveSeconds" (cq) at the 57th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center. Robert Hanashiro / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The outlet points out that these producers never signed agreements with Ye, leaving them unable to collect producer fees or royalties. "We have no recourse besides to try to sue [West]… but that’s costly," one of their attorneys said. “Legal claims against Ye don’t really seem to go anywhere," another added. Billboard's report arrived shortly after producer Digital Nas went off on the duo in a fiery rant. He worked on the track "Carnival" with Ye and Ty, and was upset he was left off the credits.

“I’m showing y’all this to let y’all know how many vultures are in this music industry […] These n****s are fighting over crumbs," he alleged at the time. "‘Carnival’ made $47,000 publishing. These n****s is old as f*ck, don’t have no talent. But they use young n****s’ sound and then they try to say they did something on the record when they didn’t do sh*t!"

About The Author
Caroline Fisher is currently a News Editor at HotNewHipHop. Her time at HotNewHipHop began in 2023 when she began writing about music and pop culture full-time. Since then, she has helped cover major stories including the YSL RICO trial, Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s explosive feud, Diddy’s ongoing legal battle, and awards shows such as the BET Awards. Being from Chicago, she also got the opportunity to attend Summer Smash 2024 and review Chief Keef’s historic homecoming show. She additionally covered sets by Flo Milli, Playboi Carti, Bktherula, and more.

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