Valentine’s Day turned sour for Kanye West (aka Ye) and Ty Dolla $ign as their collaborative track, “Good (Don’t Die)”, faced an abrupt removal from Spotify, leaving fans puzzled after it spent less than four days on the platform.
The unexpected removal stems from copyright infringement claims made by Donna Summer’s estate.
The estate alleges that West sought permission to use “I Feel Love” but was denied.
Despite this, Ye went ahead and incorporated elements from the iconic track without proper authorisation.
The estate voiced their displeasure on Instagram, stating: “Kanye West… asked permission to use Donna Summer’s song ‘I Feel Love’, he was denied… he changed the words, had someone re-sing it or used AI but it’s ‘I Feel Love’… copyright infringement!!!"
Summer’s “I Feel Love” was a massive success, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977 and staying on the chart for 23 weeks. It was one of her 14 songs that made it to the top 10 on the Hot 100 during her career.
However, Ye and Ty Dolla $ign faced sampling issues not only with “Good (Don’t Die)” but also with another track called “Everybody”, played during the New York “Vultures” listening event. This song seemed to sample the Backstreet Boys’ anthem of the same name.
Despite the setback of being removed from Spotify, the electro-pop track “Good (Don’t Die)” remains available on other platforms like Apple Music.
In the midst of these music challenges, Ye addressed ongoing drama with Taylor Swift on Instagram.
Responding to a fan’s call to block West from the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, he stated that when he claimed to be the new Jesus, it wasn’t directed at Swift.
He appreciated the free promotion and highlighted the positive and fun aspects of his new album, “Vultures 2”. He also mentioned the mistreatment he faced last year and drew parallels to the mistreatment of his people due to their skin colour.
He asserted his support for Swift in the past, denied being an enemy or friend to her fans and set the record straight about getting kicked out from the Super Bowl.