‘Donda’ Artist Clears the Smudge of Lawsuit From ‘Life of the Party’, 2 Years After Legal Trouble Started

As an impactful figure in the record industry, Ye (formerly Kanye West) has experienced peaks of success, but that has not exempted him from legal troubles. Whether related to his business endeavors or musical talent, the Atlanta rapper has frequently been entangled in legal issues. Nonetheless, his unique originality distinguishes him from others, and recently, by relying on the authenticity of his artistry, he successfully resolved a long-standing copyright dispute concerning his track, ‘Life of the Party’.

After two years of legal disputes, the ‘Heartless’ rapper has emerged victorious, with the credit rightfully going to the creator rather than those who sought to place blame.

Ye becomes the life of the party with copyright victory

In a recent filing with the New York federal court via Reuters, Ye has reached a settlement to be removed as a defendant in the copyright lawsuit involving his track, ‘Life of the Party’. On Friday, Phase One Network informed the court that they have agreed to dismiss Ye from their lawsuit, which accused him of using music from Boogie Down Productions without authorization on ‘Life of the Party’. Neither Ye’s nor Phase One’s attorneys have provided further details or commented on whether a settlement has been finalized.

In 2022, Phase One filed a lawsuit against Ye, claiming that ‘Life of the Party’ contains an “exact reproduction” of horn parts, drums, and a melody from Boogie Down’s 1987 song, ‘South Bronx’. The track, featuring Andre 3000, appeared on Ye’s 2021 album, ‘Donda.’ The lawsuit also included British tech company Kano Computing as a defendant for developing the Stem Player, a handheld audio device through which the track was released. While Phase One has dropped Ye from the lawsuit, they have not dismissed their case against Kano.

Although Ye appears to have navigated his legal troubles related to his music, he has recently found himself involved in another lawsuit, this time over the unauthorized use of images of himself and Bianca Censori.

Ye faces a $1.5 million lawsuit for unauthorized photo use of Bianca Censori

Since the rapper has been left without a lawyer with Brian Brumfield’s motion to withdraw, Ye continues to face legal challenges. Recently, the USA Herald reported that the artist is now contending with a $1.5 million copyright infringement lawsuit from two celebrity photography companies, BackGrid USA Inc. and its British affiliate, Backgrid London Ltd. The companies claim that Ye used at least 10 of their photos featuring himself and Bianca Censori on Instagram and Yeezy without permission.

The complaint, filed in a California federal court, alleges that Ye used eight photos owned by BackGrid USA and two owned by Backgrid London without obtaining the necessary licenses. The companies argue that this unauthorized use has potentially cost them “up to hundreds of thousands of dollars” in lost revenue per photo, as their business model relies significantly on licensing these images to major outlets. Thus, while one legal issue may be resolved, another remains on the horizon.

What do you think of Ye’s dismissal from the ‘Life of the Party’ lawsuit after 2 years of battle? Let us know in the comments below!