Kanye West is in hot water with Donna Summer’s estate.
TMZ reports that the late singer’s estate has alleged that Ye used an "unauthorized interpolation" of Summer’s voice from “I Feel Love” on the Vultures 1 album cut “Good (Don’t Die).” The estate also said that West found a workaround and made the song after reaching out about sampling Summer and was rejected by the estate.
The estate has now filed a lawsuit against Ye, Ty Dolla Sign, and Ye’s record label, among others, and is seeking major damages and an injunction to block the distribution of “Good (Don’t Die).”
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the estate was uncompromising when the two artists asked if they could sample “I Feel Love” on Jan. 31, 2024, a little over a week before Vultures 1 arrived. Ye’s interpolation of Donna’s song doesn’t shield him from copyright infringement because Summer’s estate remains in control of a portion of the copyright.
"In the face of these repeated denials, West and Co-Defendants attempted to get around this roadblock by instead making an unauthorized interpolation," the complaint said, per Pitchfork. "West and his Co-Defendants used the song’s iconic melody as the hook for their infringing song and essentially re-recorded almost verbatim key, instantly recognizable portions of 'I Feel Love' using a singer soundalike to Summer, with slight changes to the lyrics (also done without permission)."
The estate denied Ye’s request due to his reputation, and while the estate wasn’t clear about what it meant, one could easily assume it has to do with one of Ye’s numerous scandals, including antisemitic remarks, hate speech, and other extreme rhetoric.
“In considering Defendants’ request, the Summer Estate not only considered the immense commercial value of the ‘I Feel Love’ composition, but also the potential degradation to Summer’s legacy,” the complaint continued. “West is known as a controversial public figure whose conduct has led numerous brands and business partners to disassociate from him.”
On Feb. 10, “Good (Don’t Die)” was included on Vultures 1 across all DSPs, but it has now disappeared from Spotify and Apple Music. The estate said it reached out to streamers to have the song removed.
