Kanye West has been named as the defendant in a lawsuit filed by a Texas pastor who claims that the rapper sampled one of his sermons for a song without his authorization. According to court documents, Bishop David Paul Moten says that a portion of one of his sermons was used by West on the song “Come to Life” from his chart-topping Donda album, which was released in 2021.
The suit alleges that the sample of Moten’s sermon is used for 70 seconds of the five-minute, 10-second track, which accounts for more than 20 percent of the song, making the infringement even more glaring. In addition to West, Moten has also filed suit against UMG Recordings, Def Jam Recordings, and G.O.O.D Music and is seeking damages from all parties involved.
This isn’t the first time West has faced litigation in recent years, as the rap star was sued for $1 million in 2020 as part of a class-action lawsuit filed by performers in his Nebuchadnezzar live opera, who accused West of failing to properly compensate them for their services.
More recently, in February 2021 members of his Sunday Service Choir production crew also filed a class-action lawsuit for unpaid wages against West, this time to the tune of $30 million in damages.