Kanye West Dragged Into Explosive Zoom Deposition Over Stolen Samples — Lawyers Fear Total Meltdown

As part of an ongoing copyright dispute over his recent music, Kanye West is set to sit for a court-ordered Zoom deposition later this month. This has raised new concerns about how the outspoken artist may act when he is under oath. The deposition is a result of claims that West used vocal samples from Memphis rap pioneers without permission.

AllHipHop says that West has to go to a two-hour Zoom deposition on February 26 in connection with a lawsuit brought by Criminal Manne, DJ Squeeky, and the estate of the late rapper Kilo G. The plaintiffs say that West's song "F## Sumn" used vocals from their 1998 song "Drank a Yak (Part 2)" without permission.

The lawsuit says that certain vocal lines from the original recording can be heard in West's song. Criminal Manne said that "Smokin' on a junt, with my n****s drinkin' O.E." is his voice at the start of the song. The complaint also points out another line from Kilo G's song later on: "Stop off at the liquor store, get your yak, then we headed for the indo."

The plaintiffs say they first tried to settle the problem by negotiating sample clearance. AllHipHop says that Alien Music Services started talking about the deal in March, but it reportedly fell through by June because of problems at Yeezy, including a lot of staff leaving. The artists are now saying that West has delayed payment while still making money off the song.

People who watch the law are worried that the deposition could get heated because of West's past behavior in court. Retelling of a previous case that AllHipHop cited, West wore a mask during a 2021 deposition related to a technology lawsuit and made a number of confrontational comments. At one point, he said to the lawyers, "You don't have the right to see my face."

West said, "I'm not gonna tell you! You never gonna see me again!" He also bristled at routine questions, replying, "Are you stupid? I don't have time to be talking about, yeah, I got a chair in the room. You are talking to the richest Black person in the history of America."

West also defended keeping his phone during questioning by talking about what he called his "mental genius-ness," which legal experts have since said was very strange behavior.

The next deposition will only be about personal jurisdiction, according to reports. But lawyers who know about West's legal history say that even narrowly defined sessions are risky. Ty Dolla $ign, who is also a defendant, has already settled his part of the lawsuit, leaving West as the only defendant.

The estate of Criminal Manne, DJ Squeeky, and Kilo G is asking for damages, credit, and payment, saying that the issue is more about artistic recognition than just money.

Meanwhile,The Sun reported, Grammy executives are said to have permanently shut Kanye West out of future ceremonies following backlash over his past behavior, including Bianca Censori's near-nude red carpet stunt.

Insiders claim his recent apology and explanations tied to mental health will not be enough to secure invitations, with sources insisting he is no longer welcome at the Grammys or on the red carpet.