Ye Sued for Sampling Song He Was Denied Permission to Use

The artist formerly known as Kanye West is back in court—this time over an alleged unauthorized sample used in a track from his Vultures 2 era.

According to a new report from TMZ, singer-songwriter Alice Merton is suing Ye over “Gun to My Head,” a track that appeared on the digital deluxe edition of Vultures 2, released in August 2023. Merton claims the song illegally samples her 2022 track “Blindside,” even though she had explicitly denied Ye’s request to use it.

The German-born singer—best known for her 2016 hit “No Roots”—says Ye’s team initially reached out to her label, BMG Rights Management, seeking clearance for the sample. Merton declined, citing what she described as a conflict in values with the controversial artist.

The lawsuit gets even more personal. Merton reportedly pointed to Ye’s recent resurfacing of antisemitic rhetoric, including pro-Nazi comments, as one of the main reasons she rejected the request. According to TMZ, Merton has family members who are Holocaust survivors and says Ye’s actions are especially offensive to her heritage.

What’s worse—Merton claims that after the sample was used anyway, Ye fans began sending her threatening messages online.

Ye has faced several copyright battles over the years. Most recently, he was called out by Ozzy Osbourne for sampling “Iron Man” on Vultures 1‘s “Carnival.” Before that, his track “Flowers” (from the Stem Player release of Donda 2) also sparked legal trouble over sampling.

So far, neither Ye nor Ty Dolla $ign has publicly responded to the latest legal claim. Whether this lawsuit will affect the release of Vultures 3—if it’s even still in the works—remains to be seen.

One thing’s clear: when it comes to sampling and clearance, Ye’s legal battles aren’t slowing down.