TSVI, a well-known underground producer, has accused Kanye West of sampling one of his songs without permission. According to TSVI, West used a sample of his song ‘12345678’ on ‘Believe What I Say’ from his 2021 album, ‘Donda’. TSVI expressed his anger on social media, stating that he only found out about the sample recently and needs to be paid immediately. TSVI further claimed that West sampled the words ‘one’ and ‘six’ from recordings he made, while the ‘work it’ phrase was sampled by the musician.
In response to the situation, TSVI posted a follow-up tweet, calling the incident ‘surreal’ and noting that he has seen stories of West stealing samples from other underground music producers. Additionally, TSVI expressed frustration about the power dynamic between producers, noting that those at the bottom of the industry food chain, like himself, have little recourse when someone like West, with billions of dollars in his bank account and an infinite sample pack at his disposal, takes their work without permission. TSVI concluded by remarking that he does not expect to receive any money for this but appreciates all the support he has received from fans.
When asked by MusicTech for comment, TSVI stated that he would be satisfied with receiving credit on the song. However, this is not the first time that West has been accused of stealing samples. In February 2021, Ozzy Osbourne called West an ‘anti-Semite’ after the musician used Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ without permission. West subsequently removed the sample from his song but later replaced it with a sample from his own song ‘Hell Of A Life’, which also samples ‘Iron Man’. West has also been accused of using Donna Summer’s seminal track ‘I Feel Love’ without permission and allegedly used a Backstreet Boys sample without consent as well.
In other news, West has been sued by a former Yeezy and Donda Academy student, Trevor Phillips, who alleges that the musician verbally abused and threatened violence against students at Donda Academy, an educational institution founded by West. While West’s representatives have not yet responded to Phillips’ allegations, they have previously denied claims made by former Donda Academy employees, describing them as a ‘dystopian institution designed to satisfy Ye’s idiosyncrasies.
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