Ye has taken his fight over samples used in his Donda album to a Los Angeles courtroom — and told jurors he’s being shaken down because of who he is.
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West testified Wednesday in federal court that he followed the “normal process” to clear a disputed sample tied to early versions of the hit songs “Hurricane” and “Moon,” both featured on his blockbuster 2021 album.
“We went through the normal process to get it taken care of,” said Ye, who appeared in court wearing a gray suit.
The trial centers on a lawsuit from four music producers — DJ Khalil, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff and Josh Mease — who claim Ye used portions of their instrumental track “MSD PT2” in demos played during a massive Donda listening event at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in July 2021.
That event became a pop-culture spectacle, drawing fans from across the country as Ye previewed unfinished tracks before the album’s release. Final versions of “Hurricane” and “Moon” later landed in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 20, with “Hurricane” — featuring The Weeknd and Lil Baby — winning a Grammy for best melodic rap performance.
Ye insisted his team made a legitimate effort to license the sample, but said the producers stalled negotiations and rejected standard royalty splits.
“I pride myself on giving people what they deserve” in terms of credit and royalties, Ye testified, adding that some people try to squeeze extra money out of him because of his celebrity status.
“I feel like a lot of people try to take advantage of me,” Ye told the jury according to Billboard. “As I sit in this courtroom today, I just think people are trying to make more than they otherwise would because it’s me.”
The lawsuit is just one of more than a dozen copyright battles Ye has faced over alleged uncleared samples during his career. But unlike past cases, which often ended in settlements, this one has gone all the way to trial.
A judge already trimmed most of the lawsuit earlier this year, ruling the plaintiffs only own rights to the “MSD PT2” master recording — not the underlying composition. That narrowed the case to the early Donda demos played at the Atlanta listening party, not the final album tracks that generated millions.
The producers are now seeking damages tied to the listening event itself, including ticket sales, merchandise revenue and a reported $750,000 livestream agreement with Apple Music.
Ye pushed back on those claims from the witness stand.
“People came to hear whatever I was going to play that was new,” Ye testified. “Often people buy merch before they even hear the music.”
