The estate of Donna Summer have criticised Kanye West for allegedly using a sample of ‘I Feel Love’ without permission.
A sample that sounds strikingly similar to Summer’s original appears on the track, ‘Good (Don’t Die)’ from his new album ‘Vultures’, made with Ty Dolla $ign, that was released on Friday (February 9).
In a post to Instagram Stories, Summer’s estate wrote: “Kanye West asked permission to use Donna Summer’s song ‘I Feel Love’, he was denied…he changed the words, had someone re sing it or used AI but it’s ‘I Feel Love’.”
They went on to claim it was a “copyright infringement.” NME has reached out to representatives of West for comment.
Donna Summer’s estate says that Kanye West was denied permission to use her classic “I Feel Love” on his album:
“he changed the words, had someone re sing it or used AI but it’s I Feel Love… copyright infringement!!!” pic.twitter.com/tkGnjjamBa
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 10, 2024
West already received criticism from Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne after he used a copy of Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ on his album, allegedly also without permission.
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Ozzy hit out at West in a social media post, calling him an “anti-Semite” and claiming the rapper used the sample of Sabbath’s song on his new album despite being denied permission. West first reportedly played the clip during an event promoting his new album with Ty Dolla $ign on February 8 at the United Center in Chicago.
Ozzy wrote in a post that West “asked permission to sample a section of a 1983 live performance of ‘War Pigs’ from the US festival without vocals” but was subsequently “refused permission because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many.” The post was later amended to the song ‘Iron Man’.
Osbourne added: “He went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night. I want no association with this man!”
Sharon also subsequently hit out at West, saying he “fucked with the wrong Jew this time”. Speaking to TMZ, Sharon, who was raised as Jewish, said that Ozzy typically doesn’t refuse to clear samples – but in West’s case, he had “special fucking occasion to say no”.
She went on to brand West as a “disrespectful anti-Semite”, saying that these days he “represents hate”. The Osbournes have also reportedly sent off a cease and desist to West.
According to Rolling Stone, West has now removed the Sabbath sample from ‘Carnival’ on his album. However, he seems to have replaced it with a sample of his other song ‘Hell Of A Life’, which features a legally-cleared sample of ‘Iron Man’.
Elsewhere, ‘Vultures’ has also sparked further controversy with West seemingly comparing himself to both Bill Cosby and R Kelly on the album.
Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault in 2018; his conviction was overturned in a 2021 retrial. R Kelly meanwhile was found guilty in 2023 of six of 13 counts of owning and producing child pornography and enticing a minor. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but he will serve almost all of his sentence simultaneously alongside the jail term he received in 2022 for racketeering and trafficking.