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Kanye West takes stand in LA copyright trial: ‘People try to take advantage of me’

Nypost · · 462 words · By Pierce Sharpe
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What to know about Kanye West takes stand in LA copyright trial: ‘People try to take advantage of me’

Kanye West takes stand in LA copyright trial: ‘People try to take advantage of me’ Ye has taken his fight over samples used in his Donda album to a Los Angeles courtroom — and told jurors he’s being shaken down because of who he is.

Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Kanye West takes stand in LA copyright trial: ‘People try to take advantage of me’ Ye has taken his fight over samples used in his Donda album to a Los Angeles courtroom — and told jurors he’s being shaken down because of who he is.

Why it matters

The rapper formerly known as Kanye West testified Wednesday in federal court that he followed the “normal process” to clear a disputed sample tied to early versions of the hit songs “Hurricane” and “Moon,” both featured on his blockbuster 2021 album.

Common ground

“We went through the normal process to get it taken care of,” said Ye, who appeared in court wearing a gray suit.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/07/us-news/kanye-west-testifies-in-donda-album-trial-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “disputed sample tied to early versions of the hit songs “Hurricane” and “Moon,” both featured on his blockbuster 2021 album”
CORROBORATED
Reports specify that the lawsuit involves uncleared samples used in demos for the songs 'Hurricane' and 'Moon' from the Donda album.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Explore Apple Music's Top Charts to listen to today's most popular songs, playlists, albums, and music videos.
https://music.apple.com/us/new/top-charts
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web search NEUTRAL — Discover and play over 320 million music tracks. Join the world’s largest online community of artists, bands, DJs, and audio creators.
https://soundcloud.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Browse & stream your favorite music and podcasts from your web browser now. Listen to your favorite playlists from over 100 million songs on Amazon Music Unlimited.
https://music.amazon.com/
help
Claim 2: “A judge already trimmed most of the lawsuit earlier this year, ruling the plaintiffs only own rights to the “MSD PT2” master recording — not the underlying composition”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding a judge trimming the lawsuit or ruling specifically on the master recording vs. composition rights.
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Claim 3: “The lawsuit is just one of more than a dozen copyright battles Ye has faced over alleged uncleared samples during his career”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including a dedicated list of sampling lawsuits, confirm that Ye has faced numerous (at least 14) copyright battles over sampling throughout his career.
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web search NEUTRAL — West in the studio. Throughout the course of his career, American rapper Kanye West has been recognized for his frequent use of sampling, or the practice of taking of parts from other songs to incorpo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kanye_West_samples_and…
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web search NEUTRAL — Kanye West has faced at least 14 sampling lawsuits accusing Ye of stealing copyrighted music without permission. Here's a full list of every lawsuit.
https://www.billboard.com/lists/kanye-west-ye-sampling-lawsu…
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web search NEUTRAL — Kanye West has been sued several times over the years for using unlicensed samples in his works. Here's a peek at several of the suits.
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2025/03/27/sampling-the-wro…
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Claim 4: “The rapper formerly known as Kanye West testified Wednesday in federal court”
CORROBORATED
Two separate reports explicitly mention Ye testifying in court regarding the copyright trial for 'Donda' samples.
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web search NEUTRAL — West is one of the best-selling music artists, with 160 million records sold, [11] and the 13th-most awarded artist at the Grammy Awards, with 24 wins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West
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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Kanye West (born June 8, 1977, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.) is an American producer, rapper, and fashion designer who parlayed his production success in the late 1990s and early 2000s into a ca…
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kanye-West
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web search NEUTRAL — 13 hours ago · Entrepreneur and musician Kanye West lost his lucrative multi-year deal to design sneaker brand Yeezy for Adidas after making antisemitic comments.
https://www.forbes.com/profile/kanye-west/
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Claim 5: “The trial centers on a lawsuit from four music producers — DJ Khalil, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff and Josh Mease”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources identify the four producers filing the lawsuit as DJ Khalil, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff, and Josh Mease (noted as John Mease in one source).
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web search NEUTRAL — The best online DJ app to mix SoundCloud music and Youtube videos for FREE! Powered by the iWeb DJ mixer, SoundCloud and Youtube.
https://youdj.online/
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web search NEUTRAL — Your First DJ Set Starts Here No gear needed, no experience required. Pick up a virtual DJ controller and start learning to mix.
https://dj.tribexr.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Connect your controller Beatport DJ is compatible with most MIDI devices and offers fully customizable audio settings to match your hardware.
https://dj.beatport.com/
info
Claim 6: “Final versions of “Hurricane” and “Moon” later landed in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 20”
SINGLE SOURCE
While 'Hurricane' is known to be a hit, the provided evidence does not explicitly confirm that both 'Hurricane' and 'Moon' reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Billboard Hot 100 is a singles chart published by Billboard that measures the most popular singles in the United States, based on sales, online streaming, and radio airplay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_char…
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web search NEUTRAL — Part of a new project called "Donda (but better)," which remixes from Kanye West's 10th studio album "Donda" both Hurricane (feat. The Weeknd & Lil Baby) and...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyjXTzrvN14
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web search NEUTRAL — List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and ...
https://acharts.co/us_singles_top_100
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Claim 7: “The producers are now seeking damages tied to the listening event itself, including ticket sales, merchandise revenue and a reported $750,000 livestream agreement with Apple Music”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the specific damages sought, such as the $750,000 Apple Music agreement.
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Claim 8: “Ye has taken his fight over samples used in his Donda album to a Los Angeles courtroom”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that Ye (Kanye West) is facing a trial in Los Angeles regarding unlicensed samples used in 'Donda' demos.
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web search NEUTRAL — "Kanye" redirects here. For other uses, see Kanye (disambiguation) and Kanye West (disambiguation).West performed at the SoFi Stadium in April 2026, following the release of Bully, selling out with $3…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West
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web search NEUTRAL — Kanye West is facing trial after being hit with a lawsuit over a sample he used in demos of his 2021 album "Donda.
https://www.billboard.com/pro/kanye-west-trial-lawsuit-sampl…
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web search NEUTRAL — A historic Ye copyright trial begins May 4 over unlicensed samples in his Donda hits.This trial is not the first legal challenge Ye has faced regarding sampling. His initial lawsuit over sampling date…
https://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00256802.html
verified
Claim 9: ““Hurricane” — featuring The Weeknd and Lil Baby — winning a Grammy for best melodic rap performance”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and multiple news sources confirm that 'Hurricane' featuring The Weeknd and Lil Baby won the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance in 2022.
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web search NEUTRAL — Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group."Hurricane" – Kanye West featuring The Weeknd & Lil Baby (2022). "Wait for U" – Future featuring Drake & Tems (2023).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Melodic_…
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web search NEUTRAL — Kanye West's Hurricane featuring The Weeknd and Lil Baby wins Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards in Las Vegas.
https://y105music.com/kanye-west-hurricane-weeknd-lil-baby-b…
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web search NEUTRAL — The song took over the Best Melodic Rap Performance category, beating out the likes of J. Cole, Lil Nas X, Doja Cat, and Tyler, The Creator. On Instagram, Lil Baby shared both his gratitude and excite…
https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/399361-lil-baby-beams-after-hur…
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Claim 10: “claim Ye used portions of their instrumental track “MSD PT2” in demos played during a massive Donda listening event at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in July 2021”
CORROBORATED
Two sources confirm the claim that the producers allege the use of their track 'MSD PT2' during the Donda listening event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in July 2021.
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web search NEUTRAL — The song was produced by West, alongside BoogzDaBeast, DJ Khalil, Mike Dean, and Ronny J. The track also features additional vocals from the Sunday Service Choir and KayCyy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(Kanye_West_and_the_…
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web search NEUTRAL — 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 b…
https://www.billboard.com/pro/kanye-west-testifies-donda-mus…
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web search NEUTRAL — Ye is being sued by four producers — DJ Khalil, Sam Barsh, John Mease and Dan Seeff — alleging he used an uncleared sample off the song “MSD PT2” on the demo for “Hurricane,” which was played during t…
https://www.complex.com/music/a/jose-martinez/kanye-west-n-i…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.