The estate of disco legend Donna Summer has filed a lawsuit in California federal court against Ye, the rap star formerly known as Kanye West, accusing him of incorporating her 1977 hit I Feel Love into his new album without permission.
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The lawsuit said Ye and singer Ty Dolla $ign used "instantly recognisable" parts of her song in Good (Don't Die) for their collaborative album Vultures 1 after the estate had explicitly rejected their request to sample it.
Representatives for Ye and Ty Dolla $ign, whose given name is Tyrone Griffin, could not be reached for comment.
A lawyer for the Summer estate said it would "let the complaint speak for itself."
Ye, who legally changed his name from Kanye West in 2021, sparked outrage in 2022 with a series of anti-Semitic social-media posts. The rapper apologised for his remarks in December.
Ye and Griffin released Vultures 1 on February 10. It is currently the best-selling album in the US, according to Billboard.
Summer's estate said that it rejected a request to allow Ye and Griffin to sample I Feel Love on February 3.
"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 said.
"West is known as a controversial public figure whose conduct has led numerous brands and business partners to disassociate from him."
The lawsuit said that Ye and Griffin re-recorded the hook of I Feel Love with a different singer for their album despite the estate's "absolute prohibition" against the use of Summer's recording or a "soundalike."
The estate requested monetary damages and asked the court to permanently block Ye and Griffin from infringing Summer's copyrights.
Australian Associated Press
