Rapper Ye Sued Over Unlicensed Sampling of Texas Pastor’s Sermon

The rapper Ye is facing a copyright infringement suit brought by a Texas pastor over the unauthorized sampling of one of his sermons for a track on the 2021 album “Donda.”

Bishop David Paul Moten claimed Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, used unlicensed samples of his 2011 sermon “Thank God for Saving Me” in the song “Come to Life” without his consent, according to a complaint filed Friday in the Victoria Division of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas. UMG Recordings, Inc., Def Jam Recordings, and G.O.O.D Music are also listed as defendants.

The lawsuit comes as West reportedly faces other allegations of using illegally sampled audio in his music, including Marshall Johnson’s 1986 dance song “Move Your Body” and “South Bronx” by Boogie Down Productions.

Moten serves as pastor of The Joy of the Lord Worship Center, an Apostolic Penecostal Holiness Church. Friday’s complaint was filed in Victoria, where the church is located. He had earlier filed a complaint in May 2022 in Dallas, according to reporting by The Dallas Morning News.

Moten, the owner of the sermon’s copyright, accused West and the other defendants in the complaint of knowingly producing, manufacturing, distributing, and selling the song recording with the knowledge of the unauthorized sampling in his complaint. Their conduct was “wanton, reckless, and/or malicious,” according to the filing, and he requested a jury trial.

“Come to Life” contains about 70 seconds of Moten’s directly sampled sermon, which appears to run on a loop underscoring the pre-chorus and chorus, according to the complaint.

“My soul cries out, ‘Hallelujah,’” Moten said in the sermon featured in the song, according to the lawsuit. “And I thank God for saving me.”

The track, part of Ye’s tenth studio album, gained popularity and was named among the best songs of 2021 by Variety and reached number 20 in the Billboard Christian songs charts that year.

Moten is represented by Dave-Rode Law Firm, PLLC, which did not immediately return to a request for comment.

Universal Music Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The case is Moten v. DEF JAM RECORDINGS et al, S.D. Tex., No. 6:23-cv-00030, 6/30/23