Donna Summer’s estate reportedly sued Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, for copyright infringement, alleging the rapper made an unauthorized soundalike of Summer’s song, “I Feel Love.”
Court documents allege Ye used the unauthorized sample on his recently released “Vultures” album, which has been streamed millions of times.. Summer’s estate claims the sample in question was used in Ye’s single, “Good (Don’t Die),” according to TMZ.
Representatives for Summer said Ye asked for their permission to sample the legendary artist’s song, but they flatly denied his request, citing concerns about being connected to Ye as a result of his reputation, TMZ reported. Their concerns seemingly stemmed from Ye’s apparent antisemitic rants.
Donna Summer performs at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at Oslo Spektrum on December 11, 2009 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Sandy Young/Getty Images)
The late singer’s estate named Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Ye’s record label and others in their lawsuit, according to TMZ.
Vanguard Award winner Kanye West speaks onstage during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Summer’s estate claimed Ye and Ty Dolla $ign approached them Jan. 31, roughly a week before Ye released the album. The estate says that in spite of the fact that they denied Ye’s request, Ye released the song, which was then streamed on Apple, Spotify and a number of other major streaming platforms, according to TMZ.
The court documents allege Ye attempted to get around their refusal to grant his request by creating an interpolation of the original song, TMZ reported.
Singer Donna Summer performs on NBC’s “Today Show” in Rockefeller Plaza on May 30, 2008 in New York City. Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
The late artist’s estate contacted each streaming platform and demanded the song be yanked, which may be the reason Ye’s album briefly disappeared from streaming sites shortly after it was released. The album was re-uploaded, but “Good (Don’t Die)” was removed from the song list, according to TMZ.(RELATED: Ice Spice Sued For Copyright Infringement: REPORT)