Singer Alice Merton filed a lawsuit against Kanye West in a California federal court on Tuesday, accusing him of unlawfully sampling her song after she denied clearance due to his history of antisemitic and racist remarks.
Key Facts
- Alice Merton’s lawsuit alleges that Kanye West used an unauthorized sample of her song “Blindside” in “Gun To My Head,” a track featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Kid Cudi.
- According to the lawsuit, West’s song includes Merton’s vocals singing the lyric “I sat down with a gun to my head,” which is the opening line of Blindside, and repeatedly features a melodic phrase from the song.
- Merton claims she was “shocked and humiliated” upon discovering the unauthorized sample when West performed the song in December 2023. Reports at the time had incorrectly suggested that she collaborated with him.
- She alleges that West’s team did not seek clearance for the sample until months after the performance, and both she and her label refused to approve it, citing that West’s “values are contrary to our values.”
- Merton, a German resident and descendant of Holocaust survivors, stated she wanted no association with West due to his publicly made antisemitic and racist remarks.
- “Gun To My Head” was initially left off West’s February 2024 album Vultures 1, which, according to Merton, angered West’s fans, leading to threats against her for not clearing the sample. However, West later released the song as a bonus track on Vultures 2.
Who Is Alice Merton?
Alice Florence Clarissa Merton (born September 13, 1993) is a German-Canadian singer-songwriter based in the UK. She rose to fame with her debut single, “No Roots,” which became a global hit in 2017. The track remains her only entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and has amassed nearly 400 million streams on Spotify.
Following the success of No Roots, Merton released an EP of the same name in 2017, followed by her debut album, Mint, in 2019. Her second album, S.I.D.E.S., was released in 2022. No Roots peaked at No. 2 in Germany and reached the top 10 in several European markets, solidifying her status as an international artist.
Key Background
Merton’s lawsuit cited West’s ongoing history of antisemitic remarks, which he has made consistently since 2022, including in recent months. Once a billionaire and fashion mogul, West lost most of his fortune after Adidas severed ties with him following a series of antisemitic comments—most notably, a tweet in which he threatened to go “death con 3 on Jewish people.”
West’s controversial behavior has escalated recently. Last month, he was seen in Los Angeles wearing a swastika T-shirt, the same design he sold on his website and promoted through a Super Bowl advertisement. He has also posted—and later deleted—several antisemitic statements on X, including: “I LOVE HITLER NOW WHAT B*ES,” “Hitler was sooooo fresh,” and “IM A NAZI.”
Additionally, West was sued last month by a former Yeezy employee, who accused him of workplace harassment, including referring to her as a “bitch” and making antisemitic remarks such as, “Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler.”
Conclusion
West has faced multiple lawsuits in recent years for allegedly using samples without authorization, a pattern Merton referenced in her lawsuit. In 2023, the estate of Donna Summer accused West of “blatant theft” for sampling her song “I Feel Love” without permission on “Good (Don’t Die),” a track from Vultures 1. The song was later removed from streaming platforms. According to Billboard, West has been sued at least five more times since 2022 for unauthorized use of copyrighted music.
