Kanye West’s Copyright Woes Continue: Another Lawsuit Hits ‘Donda’ Album

Welp another day, another lawsuit for Kanye West . The latest legal battle facing the iconic rapper and producer revolves around his highly acclaimed 2021 album, “Donda.”

A group known as Artist Revenue Advocates (ARA) has filed a lawsuit in California federal court, alleging that Kanye West misused the music created by musicians Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff, and Josh Mease in two songs from the album, namely “Hurricane” and “Moon.” According to the lawsuit, West used the tracks without permission and without providing any compensation to the artists… even allegedly despite acknowledging them as songwriters and producers.

According lawsuit, recently shared by Bloomberg Law, the four musicians had collaborated on these tracks, initially sharing their ideas in 2018 through a composer pack. However, when West requested approval to use the work for “Hurricane,” his request was denied. Despite the alleged denial, the lawsuit claims that West went ahead and used the work anyway, releasing the music and even giving credit to the musicians.

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Due to the act of “blatant brazenness,” it has sparked outrage and led to legal action. ARA’s lawsuit emphasizes the importance of artists, musicians, and songwriters having the right to determine how their works are published and used.

According to the lawsuit, “Hurricane” and “Moon” have generated over $15 million in streaming revenue as of March 1, 2024. Additionally, West played these songs at listening events, resulting in approximately $14 million in merchandise sales. The lawsuit highlights that West indirectly profited from partnerships with Gap and Balenciaga, further contributing to the profitability of the tracks.

ARA is now seeking a trial by jury, aiming to hold West accountable for willful copyright violation. Although the lawsuit does not specify a monetary compensation, it does however outline the revenue generated by West through the release of these songs.

Now, this is not the first copyright infringement lawsuit Kanye West has faced in recent times. Earlier this year, he settled a lawsuit with Donna Summer’s estate for interpolating her song “I Feel Love” in one of his tracks.

In this latest lawsuit, Kanye West is named as a defendant, along with Universal Music Group, G.O.O.D. Music, Yeezy LLC, and others.

As the legal battle begins, Kanye West finds himself facing the consequences of his unauthorized use of music. Only time will tell how this latest legal saga unfolds.

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