The record label that owns one of Blastmaster KRS-One’s best-known songs is suing Kanye West for copyright infringement.
The producer, who knows better, tried to pull a fast on one of the Hip-Hop pioneers.
According to TMZ, he sampled Boogie Down Productions’ head honcho’s “South Bronx” on his song “Life Of The Party” featuring Andre 3000 (who would not approve it to go on the commercial release of the DONDA project because Ye dissed Drake in his verse).
Now the song has appeared on the artist’s STEM player as a bonus track on DONDA, but he still needs to do right by one of the most iconic pioneers in Hip-Hopdom.
Ye’s team originally reached out to the label, Phase One Network, but the licensing was never completed. The lawsuit alleges the two parties could not agree on the song, and when they could not reach an agreement, the deal was canceled.
Still, Ye and his partner Alex Klein released the song anyway.
The legal team for Phase One Network says Kanye sold about 11,000 Stem Players on the first day of release and made approximately $2.2 million. They were so bold, according to the lawsuit, they even promoted the song to push further sales of Donda and the Stem Player.
“Through a series of written and legal transfers, [Phase One Network] acquired 50% of the right, title, and interest in the Work and the Registrations, and 100% of the administration rights over the masters and compositions in the Work and the Registrations,” Phase One’s lawyer Sarah M. Matz, Esq explained.
“As such, [Phase One Network] has acquired the right, title, and interest in and to the copyright in ‘South Bronx,’ as well as all rights to income from ‘South Bronx’ and the right to prosecute all causes of action for infringement thereof,” Matz added.
The lawsuit is similar to legal action Ye is facing for sampling Marshall Jefferson’s 1986 house track “Move Your Body” on “Flowers” without getting permission or providing compensation.
Ye was repped in the lawsuit by the firm Greenberg Traurig LLP, but the firm is trying to drop the rapper over his anti-Semitic rhetoric and comments he made about George Floyd in October.
Y’all better leave KRS-One alone and give his money.