Kanye West is looking ahead to his next album BULLY, but some of his earlier works continue to land him in legal hot water. Ye and his VULTURES 2 collaborator Ty Dolla $ign received a copyright infringement lawsuit for allegedly failing to clear a sample on that album's "530" track.
According to Billboard, alt-R&B artist Swsh (Remy Quillin) and the indie label Future Bounce filed their complaint on Thursday (February 12), alleging that the duo used Swsh's 2018 track "Break The Fall" without proper licensing. More specifically, the lawsuit points to that song's outro vocals looping under Kanye's verses in the first two minutes of "530."
"By exploiting Swsh’s creative output without credit or compensation, defendants usurped the commercial and artistic value of their sound recording and underlying musical composition while misrepresenting its authorship to the public," the lawsuit reportedly reads. "This unauthorized use deprived plaintiffs of rightful sales and licensing revenue, diminished the value of their work and interfered with their ability to control how that work is experienced and perceived."
In addition, Swsh reportedly claims that they sent demand letters to Kanye West's representatives soon after VULTURES 2's release in August of 2024. They alleged never resolved the issue. The lawsuit claims Ye re-released "530" on his DONDA 2 album from last year despite knowing about the sample clearance situation. "Such willful, knowing and deliberate conduct reflects a conscious decision to misappropriate plaintiffs’ intellectual property and to profit from it," the lawsuit reportedly reads.
Is VULTURES 3 Coming Out?
Swsh and Future Bounce seek unspecified financial damages for lost royalties and expanded their complaint to levy federal copyright infringement claims against the YZY label and the Label Engine service, which reportedly distributed VULTURES 2 and DONDA 2 digitally according to Swsh. Reps for the accused artists and Label Engine reportedly did not return Billboard's requests for comment on Thursday.
According to the publication, this joins over a dozen similar cases against Kanye West, some of which related to this VULTURES series. Speaking of which, Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's VULTURES 3 seems out of the question right now, as both artists have moved on.
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