Kanye West Testifies at ‘Donda’ Music Copyright Trial

Ye (formerly Kanye West) testified in federal court on Wednesday (May 5) that he followed the right steps to clear a sample for his chart-topping 2021 album Donda and is “very generous” with giving credit to collaborators.

The rapper took the stand in an ongoing Los Angeles trial over early versions of his songs “Hurricane” and “Moon,” which both charted in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 when they were released on Donda in 2021. “Hurricane,” which featured The Weeknd and Lil Baby, also went on to win a Grammy Award for best melodic rap performance.

Four music producers — DJ Khalil (Khalil Abdul-Rahman), Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff and Josh Mease — are alleging that Ye included uncleared samples of their instrumental track “MSD PT2” in demos played of both songs at a Donda pre-release listening party in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in July 2021.

Ye maintains that the lawsuit is baseless because his team did make an earnest effort to clear the samples, but that the four producers intentionally dragged their feet and refused to approve industry-standard splits. The rapper reiterated this position during his courtroom testimony on Wednesday.

“We went through the normal process to get it taken care of,” said Ye, clad in a grey suit, about his team’s attempt to license “MSD PT2.”

Ye testified that he’s a highly collaborative artist, saying “I pride myself on giving people what they deserve” in terms of credit and royalties. But he said creators sometimes try to extract undue money from him, and this trial is one such example.  

“I feel like a lot of people try to take advantage of me,” Ye told the jury. “As I sit in this courtroom today, I just think people are trying to make more than they otherwise would because it’s me.”

The lawsuit is one among more than a dozen copyright cases Ye has faced throughout his career for allegedly using unlicensed samples and interpolations in his music. It’s the first time he’s taken one of these lawsuits to trial; in the past, he’s settled many of them.

Ye’s testimony, which lasted just over an hour, also touched on his successful music career and collection of accolades. “Music is everything,” he testified. “It surrounds me at all times, and I’m constantly creating new ideas for it.”

The rapper remained calm and expressionless for most of his time on the stand. He did crack one joke, though. When his attorney asked whether he won a Grammy for “Brothers in Paris,” Ye responded, “What’s the real name?” and joined in on a chorus of laughter from the courtroom gallery.

The case dates back to 2024, when the four “MSD PT2” producers sued Ye through a business entity called Artist Revenue Advocates LLC. Initially, they were seeking royalties from the commercially successful final versions of both “Hurricane” and “Moon,” alleging that both tracks interpolated “MSD PT2” in place of the original samples included in the demos.

However, a judge dismissed the bulk of the lawsuit in February after determining that Artist Revenue Advocates owns only the “MSD PT2” master recording rights, not the composition rights. This means that while the company can sue over a sample, it does not have any standing to bring claims over an interpolation.

The judge therefore allowed a narrow trial to go forward only on the early Donda demos, but not the far more lucrative final versions. Damages-wise, the plaintiffs are now seeking a slice of the money Ye made his Atlanta listening party — encompassing ticket sales, merch and a $750,000 livestreaming deal with Apple Music.  

Ye tried to undercut these potential damages during his testimony on Wednesday, telling jurors that his fans would have spent money on this listening party regardless of whether “Hurricane” and “Moon” were featured.

“People came to hear whatever I was going to play that was new,” Ye testified. “Often people buy merch before they even hear the music.”