'Donda' artist clears up the dirt of 'Life of the Party' lawsuit, 2 years after legal troubles began

As an influential figure in the record industry, Ye (formerly Kanye West) has experienced heights of success, but that hasn't spared him from legal troubles. Whether related to his business ventures or his musical talent, the Atlanta rapper has frequently been involved in legal trouble. Nonetheless, his unique originality sets him apart from others, and recently, relying on the authenticity of his art, he successfully settled a long-running copyright dispute over his song “Life of the Party.”

After a two-year legal battle, the “Donda” rapper emerged victorious. The credit rightfully goes to the creator and not to those who were looking for someone to blame.

Ye becomes the center of the party with the copyright victory

In a recent filing in New York federal court, via Reuters, Ye has agreed to a settlement and will be excluded as a defendant in the copyright dispute over his song “Life of the Party.” On Friday, Phase One Network informed the court that it had agreed to release Ye from the lawsuit, which accused him of using music from Boogie Down Productions for “Life of the Party” without permission. Neither Ye nor Phase One's lawyers have provided further details or commented on whether a settlement was reached.

In 2022, Phase One filed a lawsuit against Ye, claiming that “Life of the Party” was a “exact reproduction” of brass parts, drums and a melody from Boogie Down's 1987 song “South Bronx”. The track, featuring Andre 3000, appeared on Ye's 2021 album “Donda”. The lawsuit also named British technology company Kano Computing as a defendant for developing the Stem Player, a portable audio device through which the track was released. Although Phase One has excluded Ye from the lawsuit, they have not dismissed their claim against Kano.

Although Ye appears to have overcome his legal troubles related to his music, he recently found himself embroiled in another legal battle, this time over the unauthorized use of images of him and Bianca Censori.

Ye faces a $1.5 million lawsuit for unauthorized use of Bianca Censori's photo

Since the rapper no longer has a lawyer and Motion by Brian Brumfield to withdrawYe continues to face legal challenges. Recently, the USA Herald reported that the artist is now Settling a $1.5 million copyright infringement lawsuit brought by two celebrity photography companies, BackGrid USA Inc. and its UK subsidiary Backgrid London LtdThe companies claim that Ye used at least ten of their photos featuring himself and Bianca Censori on Instagram and Yeezy without permission.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, states: Ye used eight photographs owned by BackGrid USA and two owned by Backgrid London without obtaining the necessary licenses. The companies argue that this unauthorized use may have caused them costs. “up to hundreds of thousands of dollars” Loss of revenue per photo because their business model relies heavily on licensing these images to large distribution companies. So while one legal problem may be resolved, another is yet to come.

What do you think about Ye's dismissal of the lawsuit against “Life of the Party” after a two-year battle? Let us know in the comments below!