The late Donna Summer’s estate has filed a lawsuit against Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign, accusing them of unauthorized use of her song “I Feel Love” on their album Vultures. Bruce Sudano, Summer’s widower and estate executor, claims the musicians attempted to “simply steal” the song without permission.
According to the lawsuit, West and Ty Dolla $ign initially requested to sample “I Feel Love” in January, but the estate rejected the request, citing concerns about the commercial value and potential harm to Summer’s legacy due to West’s controversial public image. The estate also sought to distance itself from West’s negative publicity, referring to his severed ties with brands like Adidas and Gap after antisemitic comments in 2022.
Despite being denied permission, the lawsuit alleges that West and Ty Dolla $ign approached Universal Music Group, only to face another rejection. In response, they allegedly attempted to bypass the refusal by creating an unauthorized interpolation, using the song’s iconic melody as the hook for their infringing track. The lawsuit emphasizes the violation of artists’ rights to control the use and presentation of their works, stressing the need to prevent unauthorized use of creative works.
West and Ty Dolla $ign have not commented on the lawsuit, and The Guardian has requested a response through their press representative. The legal action adds another layer of complexity to the release of Vultures, which faced previous challenges, including Ozzy Osbourne denying permission for West to sample Black Sabbath and Nicki Minaj blocking the release of a song she featured on. The album’s release was also frequently delayed from its initial December 15 date.