Kanye West has many allegedly unauthorized samples under his belt in a lot of his work, especially his most recent records. However, it seems like he also has the ability to handle them swiftly when legal issues over them come about. Moreover, Ye settled a lawsuit from Bishop David Paul Moten on Thursday (January 30), who had sued him along with Def Jam, UMG, and G.O.O.D. Music for allegedly taking a portion of the pastor's 2011 "Thank God For Saving Me" sermon on his 2021 Donda cut, "Come To Life." Specifically, it's the part that opens the song up: "My soul cries out, ‘Hallelujah,’ And I thank God for saving me."
This lawsuit reportedly emerged back in 2023 and alleged that Kanye West used the sample without the pastor's consent, without properly compensating him, and without giving him credit. However, new court filings indicate that both parties signed a stipulation that agrees on the case's dismissal, eschewing the need for a court order and resulting in a judge dismissing this case with prejudice, which means that David Paul Moten cannot refile this lawsuit. That means that the Chicago artist can fully focus on his next moves, wherever he goes, without the possibility of Moten reopening this can of worms.
Kanye West's "Come To Life"
Elsewhere in the world of Kanye West, fans are very excited for his upcoming album Bully, even if the VULTURES series and all the controversies left a sour taste in many's mouths. Nevertheless, thanks to some new Pluto-flipping snippets, the hype cycle continues to grow, and we're just waiting for the first sign that this project is never coming out. After all, it's a Ye record, so the chances of it coming out are just as high as the chances that it'll never see the light of day.
Regardless, now that Kanye West is back in billionaire status, fans wonder whether or not he will keep things low-key or if he will really go all out now. He has many other legal issues to discuss – including more serious accusations of sexual harassment – that he might want to put in significant work for before taking a big leap again. But then again, it's Kanye. Why waste our time predicting the unpredictable?
