Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign‘s much-delayed Vultures 2 album has come with its own swarm of controversy as the pair are accused of using multiple samples without permission.
On the Playboi Carti, Kodak Black and Don Toliver-assisted “Field Trip,” the duo prominently sample Portishead’s classic hit “Machine Gun,” but according to the band’s co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Geoff Barrow, the use of the track was done without the correct clearance.
Barrow posted a clip of the song on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: “FFS. Not again,” alluding to the band’s previous claim that The Weeknd sampled the same song without permission on 2013’s “Belong to the World.”
Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley later responded to Barrow and said: “Yep, fraid so.”
Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign have also been called out for using a sample of “Break the Fall (Acoustic)” by singer Swsh on “530” without the artist’s permission.
“When people keep thanking you for clearing the sample for Kanye but you literally found out this morning lol,” Swsh wrote on Instagram, adding in the caption: “Much love tho [shrug emoji] [heart hands emoji].”
It’s unclear if either act plan to pursue legal action over the unauthorized samples.
Yep, fraid so.
— adrian utley (@adrianutley) August 3, 2024
Vultures 2 also features prominent samples of songs by Leon Bridges and Led Zeppelin, the latter of whom are famously protective of their music being used by other artists and in the media.
The first Vultures album, which was released in February, was mired in similar sampling controversy as Ye and Ty fell foul of Donna Summer and Ozzy Osbourne.
The duo were sued by Summer’s estate after using her classic song “I Feel Love” on “Good (Don’t Die),” which was ultimately removed from streaming services.
A confidential settlement was reached between the two parties, but “Good (Don’t Die)” remains unavailable.
Osbourne also slammed Kanye for borrowing Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” after he had already been refused permission.
In an Instagram post, the rock legend wrote: “@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 LISTENING PARTY LAST NIGHT. I WANT NO ASSOCIATION WITH THIS MAN.”
Kanye West would later remove the original “Iron Man” sample and change it to an interpolation of his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy track “Hell of a Life,” which was previously cleared to use the iconic song.
