Kanye West Faces Lawsuit Over Unpaid 6-Figure Sum to Music Producer for Album Work

A lawsuit has been filed against renowned rapper Kanye West by a music producer who claims to have worked extensively on West's albums, Vultures 2 and Bully, without receiving payment or proper credit. The producer, who has chosen to remain anonymous and is referred to as John Doe, was brought on board the Vultures 2 project just two days before its release on August 1, 2024. During his time on the project, Doe alleges that he was directly overseen by West in recording sessions, where he generated over 400 AI-produced vocal takes and created at least 13 custom AI voice models. According to the lawsuit, Doe's responsibilities included reconstructing vocals, converting performances into AI-generated versions of other artists' voices, and using his own recordings as source material for some of the final masters. His work allegedly appeared on five tracks from Vultures 2 and later contributed to two released songs on West's Bully project, as well as several unreleased tracks. Despite acknowledgments from West's team in late 2024 about his contributions, discussions about updating his credits on streaming platforms, and an offer for a master buyout, Doe claims he never received any payment or official credit. Through his lawsuit, Doe is seeking a minimum of $110,000 in unpaid compensation, comprising $80,000 for his work on Vultures 2 and $30,000 for Bully, along with additional damages for his work on unreleased material. Furthermore, he is requesting that the court order West's companies to properly credit him on digital streaming platforms. At the time of the lawsuit's filing, representatives for Kanye West had not responded to requests for comment.