Kanye West ‘Vultures’ producers reportedly still not paid
Producers who worked on Kanye West‘s ‘Vultures’ albums have reportedly still not been paid.
Billboard reported yesterday (December 4) that more than 10 producers who worked on ‘Vultures 1’ and ‘Vultures 2’ – both released this year as part of West’s collaborative project ¥$ with Ty Dolla $ign – have “not been paid for their services even though both albums have been released”, said music attorney Bob Celestin, who represents an unspecified number of producers who worked on both albums.
“We’ve had trouble receiving a producer agreement from Ye,” added lawyer Brittney Trigg, who represents a producer who worked on ‘Vultures 1’.
Billboard cites five lawyers who represent clients on ‘Vultures 1’, who stated that getting them compensated for their work has been even more challenging than usual. ‘Vultures 1’ was released on February 10, and ‘Vultures 2’ on ‘August 3’.
In Ye’s case, five lawyers with clients who worked on ‘Vultures 1’ say that getting them compensated has been even more challenging than usual. According to them, West – now known as Ye – has allegedly gone through at least two attorneys to help with clearances, which involves clearing songs and disbursing royalties to collaborators.
Earlier this year, Billboard reports, attorneys representing these producers decided to band together and coordinate their efforts by drafting threatening legal letters to the distributor of the albums at the time. However, Ye switched distributors before the letters could be sent – the albums were released independently under Ye’s Yeezy brand.
NME has reached out to Yeezy representatives for comment.
Lawyer Jason Berger told Billboard that in an estimated “nine out of 10 deals, the producer has not been paid the day the music comes out.” Celestin added that producers can go a year or more since release day without getting paid.
One attorney with a client on Vultures 1 told Billboard that, at this point, “we have no recourse besides to try to sue [Ye]… but that’s costly.” Another music lawyer pointed out to Billboard that “legal claims against Ye don’t really seem to go anywhere.”
This comes amidst a series of legal troubles faced by Ye, who is being sued by a model alleging sexual assault and strangulation, and an ex-employee alleging discrimination and a hostile work environment. Both lawsuits have yet to receive a response from Ye and his legal team.
This is not the first time West has been sued by one of his ex-employees. In June, his ex-assistant Lauren Pisciotta sued him for sexual harassment and wrongful termination and alleged in an expanded lawsuit last month that he had sexually assaulted to her.
At the time, West responded to the claims in a statement made to Rolling Stone via his legal representative, calling Pisciotta’s accusations “baseless”, and announcing he planned to countersue.
News of the amended suit emerged only days after West was sued by another former employee, who claimed that the rapper hired him to spy on the Kardashians, follow his wife Bianca Censori and more.
In April, West was sued for racial discrimination by one of his former security guards. He was sued by another member of staff recently for allegedly threatening to “cage” his Donda Academy students. West has not responded to either lawsuit.
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Daniel Peters
NME
