Kanye West Sued For Illegally Sampling Thunder & Lightning

posted in: Music News

G.O.O.D. Music mastermind Kanye West is no stranger to controversy. Whether it’s in his lyrics, wardrobe, or interviews, Kanye has always done as he pleases and taken whatever slack came as a result. This includes copyright lawsuits, which the Chicago born artist has dealt with a handful of times in reference to his persistent use of cleared (and supposedly uncleared) samples, and this morning he has another case to add to the pile.

In 1974, David Pryor wrote a song with his band Thunder & Lightning entitled “Bumpin’ Bus Stop.” The song was a dud and it’s fairly safe to say you have probably never heard of Thunder & Lightning before this point, but in a recently filed lawsuit Pryor’s children are claiming Kanye West sampled the track in his 2005 smash “Gold Digger” and they are now seeking millions in damages.

So what is Kanye alleged to have stolen? 13 seconds into Kanye’s “Gold Digger” you can hear a sample echoing the words “Get Down,” and Pryor’s remaining offspring claim that voice is their father’s (being used without his permission). We scoured the internet for a clip putting the two songs side by side, but unfortunately no such clip exists. So, instead of posting one video, we’ve posted both songs below in their entirety. Stream the tracks and comment to let us know if you think Kanye is in the wrong.