According to a new report, Kanye West is denying any wrongdoing and asking the court to dismiss a copyright claim stemming from a sample used on the song “Freee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)” off of his Kids See Ghosts collaborative LP with Kid Cudi.
In new court documents obtained by The Blast, Ye admits to not asking permissions but believes the work falls under fair use, and that his actions were innocent.
It’s not clear if this defense is valid as the actual vocals used were that of Bobb-Semple, and not of Garvey — an iconic Jamaican-born political activist (among other accolades/titles).
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First launched back in March, the lawsuit by actor and performer Ronald Oslin Bobb-Semple claims his performance of a famous Marcus Garvey speech on the 2002 recording “The Spirit of Marcus Garvey (Garvey speaks to an all-Black audience)” was used without permission.
Bobb-Semple delivered the recorded speech in question as part of a one-person show he’s been performing for the past 35 years. The veteran actor was the recipient of the Marcus Garvey Award for the Arts 2016 in Jamaica.
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Along with West, Cudi, Ty Dolla $ign, Def Jam, and Universal Music are all named in the lawsuit.
