Donna Summer estate files lawsuit against Kanye West for sampling her ‘I Feel Love’ on his latest album
Rapper Ty Dolla $ign was also named in the lawsuit for the unauthorized use of one of Summer's disco hits.
The estate of Donna Summer filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Kanye West, also known as Ye, and Ty Dolla $ign, alleging unauthorized sampling of a hit by the late singer.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging the rappers sampled Summer’s 1977 single “I Feel Love” for a track on Ye’s most recent album, USA Today reported.
Ye released his 11th studio album, “Vultures 1,” on Feb. 10 and the Summer smash hit at the center of the lawsuit appears on the project’s track “Good (Don’t Die).” In court documents obtained by TMZ, the estate claims they did not receive proper permission to use Summer’s song and were very clear about rejecting the request.
The lawsuit further claims that when both recording artists contacted the estate on Jan. 31 to request clearance, Summer’s estate denied permission to use the sample. The rejection followed Ye’s recent antisemitic comments and other controversial public statements that the estate of Summer, who died in 2012, did not want to be associated with.
The lawsuit also states that Ye tried to find a loophole by including re-recorded parts of the song that were “instantly recognizable,” according to USA Today. The estate became aware of the song’s sampling and contacted Apple, Spotify and other music streaming services in an effort to remove the track.
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After their request, Ye’s album briefly vanished from the streaming platforms the weekend it was released. The album has since reappeared, and “Good (Don’t Die)” is no longer featured on its tracklist.
The estate is now petitioning for monetary damages and an injunction to block further song distribution.
Both TMZ and USA Today reported they have yet to get responses from Ye seeking comment on the lawsuit.
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