Kids See Ghosts—the hip-hop duo consisting of Kanye West and Kid Cudi—has been hit with a lawsuit.
According to legal documents obtained by The Blast, 'Ye, Cudi, and Ty Dolla Sign are being sued over the 2018's "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)"—a standout cut from Kids See Ghosts' self-titled album. Ronald Oslin Bobb-Semple says the song includes an unauthorized sample of his 2002 recording called "The Spirit of Marcus Garvey (Garvey Speaks to An All-Black Audience)."
The track begins with a speech by civil rights activist Marcus Garvey:
May I say something to you to give you a true knowledge of yourself and life? Man in the full knowledge of himself is a superb and supreme creature of creation. When man becomes possessor of the knowledge of himself, he becomes the master of his environment.
The plaintiff, who has delivered this speech as part of a performance, claims it is his voice featured in "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)." He states the defendants did not receive permission to feature his work, nor have they given him a cut of the profits.
Bobb-Semple is suing the rappers, along with Def Jam and Universal Music, for unspecified damages. He is also seeking an injunction that would stop the defendants from receiving any more profits from his work.
