Kanye West hit with new copyright lawsuit over 'Donda' tracks

July 18 (Reuters) - Ye, the musician formerly known as Kanye West, is facing a new lawsuit in California federal court claiming he misused other artists' music in two songs from his hit 2021 album "Donda."

The group Artist Revenue Advocates said in the lawsuit filed on Wednesday that Ye used a track created by musicians Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff and Josh Mease in the songs "Hurricane" and "Moon" without permission and without paying them, despite crediting them as songwriters and producers of the songs.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs and spokespeople for Universal Music Group (UMG.AS) -- Ye's former record label, which released "Donda" -- did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit on Thursday. Representatives for Ye could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit said the musicians include Grammy Award winners who have worked with other rap artists including Eminem, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. According to the complaint, they collaborated on "MSD PT2," a "rhythmic and melodic foundation that supports certain lyrics and flow," in 2018, using it in a "composer pack" of tracks to show potential buyers.

The complaint said that Ye copied "MSD PT2" in his songs "Hurricane" and "Moon." "Hurricane" reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance in 2022.

The musicians asked the court for an unspecified amount of monetary damages and an order blocking the alleged infringement.

Ye, who legally changed his name from Kanye West in 2021, sparked outrage in 2022 with a series of anti-Semitic social-media posts. The rapper apologized for his remarks in December.

The rapper has been sued several times for copyright infringement, including by disco singer Donna Summer's estate earlier this year in a dispute that has since been settled.

The case is Artist Revenue Advocates LLC v. West, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:24-cv-06018.