Donna Summer’s estate accuses Kanye West of I Feel Love “copyright infringement”
The 1977 dance hit was interpolated on Ye’s new track GOOD (DON’T DIE), which was released on Saturday as part of his new Vultures 1 album.
Credit: Left: Getty/GAB Archive | Right: Getty/Paras Griffin
Donna Summer’s estate has reacted to what it deems to be an unauthorised interpolation of the late singer’s 1977 hit I Feel Love by Kanye West in his recent track, GOOD (DON’T DIE).
In the song, you can seemingly hear a version of the Giorgio Moroder-produced dance hit under the lyrics, “I’m Alive, I’m Alive, I’m Alive” sung by West in the same style as the original’s “I feel love, I feel love, I feel love”.
As reported by Billboard, on Saturday 10 February, Donna Summer’s estate posted an story on the official Donna Summer Instagram account that read: “Kanye… asked permission to use Donna Summer’s song I Feel Love, he was denied… he changed the words, had someone re-sing it or used AI but it’s I Feel Love… copyright infringement!”
Here are the two tracks for your comparison:
It’s far from the first time West, whose collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign, Vultures 1, was also released on Saturday, has come under scrutiny for sampling or interpolating other artist’s music without their permission. On Friday 9 February, Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne also hit out at the controversial artist, saying he’d asked to sample a song but was “refused permission because he is an antisemite”.
According to Osbourne, West went ahead and used the sample anyway, playing it at a Vultures 1 listening event in Chicago on Friday night.
He wrote on X, “Kanye West asked permission to sample a section of a 1983 live performance of Iron Man from the US Festival without vocals and was refused permission because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many. He went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night. I want no association with this man!”
. @KANYEWEST ASKED PERMISSION TO SAMPLE A SECTION OF A 1983 LIVE PERFORMANCE OF “IRON MAN” FROM THE US FESTIVAL WITHOUT VOCALS & WAS REFUSED PERMISSION BECAUSE HE IS AN ANTISEMITE AND HAS CAUSED UNTOLD HEARTACHE TO MANY. HE WENT AHEAD AND USED THE SAMPLE ANYWAY AT HIS ALBUM…
— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) February 9, 2024
“We get so many requests for these songs,” Ozzy’s wife Sharon Osbourne told Billboard on Friday, “and when we saw that request, we just said no way.” She added, “We’ve been in touch with his team … And it’s also an issue of having respect for another artist.”
On Saturday, she posted to X: “The Osbourne family have never wanted any association with Kanye West. He is an anti-semitic fool who spews his rhetoric out into the world, Kanye you fucked with the wrong dude this time. Sincerely, Sharon Osbourne.”
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