Kanye West and Solange both reportedly sued for alleged copyright infringement
West and Solange both sampled the song 'If We Can't Be Lovers' by Prince Phillip Mitchell
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Kanye West and Solange Knowles are both reportedly being sued for allegedly the unauthorised use of a song by musician Prince Phillip Mitchell.
According to TMZ, the lawsuit apparently holds that both artists “wilfully committed the infringement” and Mitchell is seeking punitive damages.
Mitchell alleges West used the song “If We Can't Be Lovers” without permission on the track “Everything I Am”, from the album Graduation.
The official BMI and Tidal credits say the song was co-written by West with Mitchell. George Clinton is also named, while Public Enemy’s Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour), Eric Sadler and Hank Shocklee are credited as the song contains samples their track “Bring The Noise”.
Solange later sample West’s song on the track "F*** the Industry”. While originally intended for release as part of a compilation mix-tape, itself called I Can't Get Clearance, the song ended up on the deluxe version of the singer’s second album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. That song also already credits Mitchell, along with the other writers from West's track.
According to the initial report, Mitchell also wants both artists to stop performing the song live. Meanwhile, Kanye has been busy working on a follow-up to The Life of Pablo.
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