It looks like Kanye West is going to have to cough up six figures after admitting that he used a sample on “Hurricane” without proper clearance. According to Rolling Stone, a jury found that Ye infringed on the copyright of a demo he sampled for an earlier version of “Hurricane” that he debuted at the Donda listening party.
The verdict was handed down on Tuesday afternoon, revealing that Ye and his companies have to pay upwards of $400,000. Kanye West himself is being held liable for $176,153, while Yeezy LLC will have to pay $176,153. On top of that, the companies behind his merch, Yeezy Supply and Mascotte Holdings, were also found liable. Yeezy Supply will have to pay $41,625, and Mascotte Holdings is being held liable for $44,627.
Artists Revenue Advocates manager, Britton Monts, filed the lawsuit against Ye on behalf of the four musicians who composed the sample used in the early version of “Hurricane.” She said that the “underdogs got their day in court,” especially since working artists don’t have “the resources to go against someone like Ye.” Moreover, Monts also said that the Artists Revenue Advocates are going to appeal another copyright infringement that could yield a more lucrative figure over an alleged interpolation that appeared on the final version of “Hurricane.”
The demo Ye used was a one-minute instrumental called “MSD PT2” that the plaintiff’s lawyer claimed formed the “backbone” for the song, which features appearances from The Weeknd and Lil Baby. However, the musicians in the case testified that, while they were initially excited to hear the snippet previewed on Ye’s Instagram, they also hoped to see compensation for their work.
Ye’s lawyer, Eduardo Martorell, said Ye credited the four musicians as songwriters, even after the sample was removed. He even made it clear that their reps registered them for a combined 30 percent share of the composition royalties as they went through court.
Ye's Rep Responds To Six-Figure Verdict
Ye’s lawyer didn’t respond, but his rep turned the situation into a win for him. “This is a failed shakedown. Six months ago, they wanted $30 million out of Ye,” the spokesman said. The spokesperson claimed that the ARA spent millions to fight the case, only to reach an outcome that’s significantly smaller. “The moral of the story? There is a cost attached to thinking you can take advantage of Ye.”
