Kanye West’s legal troubles keep on coming as he’s been struck with yet another lawsuit, this time by DJ Khalil and three other artists for a pair of tracks off of 2021’s “Donda.”
Artist Revenue Advocates filed the suit yesterday in California on behalf of Khalil, Sam Barsh, Dan Seef and Josh Mease, who attempted to recoup revenue for three years before transferring their rights to ARA. Collectively, the four musicians have worked with artists spanning Eminem and Drake to Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd.
The suit, shared by Bloomberg Law, focuses on two songs: “Moon” and “Hurricane,” the latter of which won the Grammy for best melodic rap performance in 2022. The four musicians initially collaborated on some ideas in 2018, included them in a composer pack and then made them available to potential buyers. West allegedly requested approval to use the work for “Hurricane,” though the request was denied.
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The complaint accuses West of using the work regardless, and subsequently releasing the music and even crediting the musicians as songwriters and producers “in an act of blatant brazenness.” “This lawsuit […] is about the rights of artists, musicians, and songwriters to determine how their works are published and used,” the suit states.
ARA is asking for a trial by jury, and while no specific monetary compensation is included, the company makes a point to list out the revenue that West made by releasing the songs. They claim that “Hurricane” and “Moon” have earned at least $15 million in streaming revenue as of March 1, 2024, and that he played the songs at listening events that accrued approximately $14 million from merchandise sales. Beyond that, the suit asserts that West indirectly profited from partnerships with Gap and Balenciaga in connection with the album, juicing profits from exploitations of the tracks.
The suit names West as a defendant alongside Universal Music Group, G.O.O.D. Music, Yeezy LLC, Universal Music Group and others. It seeks a judicial determination of willful copyright violation, as well as damages, an award of costs and any further relief.
This isn’t the first copyright suit West has faced this year alone. Donna Summer’s estate sued and subsequently settled with West for interpolating “I Feel Love” on a song on “Vultures 1” (that track is still not available on streaming), while Ozzy Osbourne threatened legal action for using a sample of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” on another song.
