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Rapper Kanye West, aka Ye, has found himself in some legal trouble as he has been slammed with a copyright lawsuit in connection with his 11th studio album, Donda 2. According to Billboard, the lawsuit claims that West allegedly used a 1975 soul song in the track, LORD LIFT ME UP, without seeking due authorization.
The lawsuit, filed on September 4 by GRC Trust, mentions that the 1975 song, which he used in his work, is Just Out of My Reach by Sam Dees. Besides Kanye West and his company, rapper Vory has also been named in the lawsuit, as he is featured in the track. A section of the legal filing reads:
“At no point…did defendants obtain authorization from GRC to use the composition in connection with the infringing work. Defendants continue to exploit and receive monies from the infringing work, respectively, in violation of GRC’s rights in his composition.”
The lawsuit also named the tech firm Kano Computing and its co-founder/CEO, Alex Klein. They have been named because the company joined hands with Kanye West to launch a player device. At the time, the device was the only way to access the album.
Through the lawsuit, GRC seeks to stop Ye through a legal order and make him give the company all the money he earned from the issue, along with covering GRC’s losses and any extra money he gained from using their work without permission.
Kanye West’s Donda 2 was made available on streaming platforms earlier this year
Donda 2 features artists like Baby Keem, Jack Harlow, Travis Scott, Migos, and others. When the album was released in 2022, Kanye West shared an Instagram post, announcing that the only way to access the platform will be through his stem player. He wrote:
“Donda 2 will only be available on my own platform, the Stem Player. Not on Apple Amazon Spotify or YouTube. Today artists get just 12% of the money the industry makes. It's time to free music from this oppressive system. It's time to take control and build our own. Go to stemplayer.com now to order.”
However, it was not until 2025 that the album was released for streaming on YouTube Music and Spotify. Soon after, West posted on X that he received legal threats from the people who worked with him on the album.
Kanye West said that Free Maiden asked him to pay $3 million for beats, even though he claimed he was the one who taught them how to make beats. According to Billboard, he added that Free Maiden attempted to remove the album.
In a message Ye shared, Free Maiden stated that they had never agreed to let their work be used for Donda 2 or any of Ye’s projects, and that Ye had owed them money for almost three years while still using their work without payment. He also wrote:
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“The lawyers are getting this taken down within the hour.”
According to Forbes, some songs in Donda 2 revolve around his relationship with his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. At the time the album was released, Kanye West was in the process of getting a legal separation from Kim.
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