Nearly three years after the release of Yeezus, Kanye West is being sued over a sample he used on the track “New Slaves.”
According to TMZ, Gabor Presser is filing suit over a sample of his band Omega’s song “Gyöngyhajú lány.” The sample in question plays at the tail end of “New Slaves,” and while Presser says he tentatively agreed to allow the sample, no formal deal was reached.
Presser claims that West sent him a $10 thousand check for the use of the sample, but it was never cashed. The gossip website reports that Presser is suing for up to $2.5 million. Though the album is still divisive today, “New Slaves” is an undisputed highlight that includes the greatest verse of all-time [citation needed].
This isn’t the first time that Kanye West has found himself in hot water over a sample. He was sued by Ricky Spicer of The Ponderosa Twins Plus One back in 2013. Spicer’s vocal on the Twins’ track “Bound” provides the hook for the Yeezus single and Kanye settled the case in 2015 for an undisclosed amount.
If only Kanye had known about this lawsuit prior to his appearance on Ellen, we could have had another 20 minutes of Kanye being gloriously himself.
