Kanye West is being sued for copyright infringement over his use of a sample for the song "Flowers" from his album Donda 2.
A complaint filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Wednesday (June 29) says West sampled Marshall Jefferson’s 1986 house track “Move Your Body” (a.k.a. “The House Music Anthem”) on the song “Flowers” without gaining permission or providing compensation, and it's “repeated at least 22 times throughout” the track, Billboard reports.
The complaint's central premise calls out West for alleged hypocrisy.
"West advocates for artists’ rights with one hand, yet has no shame in taking away rights from another artist with the other,” the complaint reads.
The complaint also alleges that the rapper/producer's conduct was "willful and deliberate" since, during discussions with representatives for Jefferson and UIMP (Ultra International Music Publishing who is suing both West and the creators of the Stem Player where the album was exclusively released), West did acknowledge the song was sampled and did so without prior authorization or compensation. Billboard reports West previously claimed to have sold 11,000 Stem Players, generating an estimated $2.2 million in revenue. UIMP is seeking damages, profits, a cease in distribution, and a jury trial.
This is the second time West has been accused of using unauthorized samples on Donda 2. He was also sued by Bishop David P. Moten who alleged a significant portion of the song "Come to Life” was taken from a sermon he delivered at a Victoria, Texas church in 2011.