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Kanye West’s Vultures II and Bully Used AI, New Lawsuit Alleges
An anonymous music producer has initiated legal proceedings against Kanye West, asserting he was contracted on minimal notice to generate artificial intelligence vocal recordings for both Vultures 2 and West's solo album Bully. The producer maintains he created numerous custom AI voice models and hundreds of individual vocal outputs—derived from his own voice—that appear across five Vultures 2 tracks and supplementary work on Bully, yet remains unpaid and uncredited on streaming platforms. He seeks compensation exceeding $110,000 for contract breach and labour law violations.
The lawsuit substantiates earlier speculation about West's reliance on synthetic vocals on recent projects, particularly given his explicit declaration that Bully contained no artificial intelligence despite his documented prior statements endorsing AI in his songwriting and recording methods. The dispute arrives amid a pattern of legal friction surrounding West's recent output, including a settled harassment claim from a former assistant and a court loss regarding an uncleared sample, signalling recurring conflicts over contractual compliance and creative attribution.
In short
- A music producer sued Kanye West for unpaid work creating AI-generated vocals appearing on Vultures 2 and Bully
- Producer claims to have engineered 13+ custom AI voice models and 400+ vocal samples without compensation or credit
- West publicly denied using AI on Bully despite prior statements acknowledging the technology in his creative process
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The allegation identifies significant concerns about labour rights and fair attribution in modern music production: a producer claims he created hundreds of AI vocal recordings using his own voice under contract, yet received neither payment nor credit. West's public denial that Bully contained artificial intelligence appears inconsistent with his documented prior advocacy for AI in recording, raising questions about transparency. The claim aligns with a broader pattern of contractual disputes surrounding his recent work.
The case against
These allegations remain unproven at the litigation stage, and material questions may exist about what was contractually agreed, which preliminary work appears in final releases, or how AI contributions should be credited as industry standards develop. West might legitimately dispute whether these specific vocal recordings substantially feature in the finished product, whether work-for-hire or other agreements apply, or whether his AI denial addresses different methods entirely. The anonymous nature of the complaint and the complexity of modern music production counsel caution.
Explained simply
Kanye West, also known as Ye, is a US rapper and producer who releases music under his own name and with collaborators. Vultures 2 is part of the Vultures series, while Bully is a solo album. AI vocal tools can generate or alter singing voices, including voices modelled on recordings of a real person.
Music producers may create recordings and other material for an artist’s tracks under agreed terms for payment and credit. The person bringing the case is described as an anonymous producer, and the claims in a lawsuit have not been established in court. The dispute concerns who made the vocal material, how it was used and what the producer was owed.
The case also touches on questions about how AI-generated vocals are disclosed and who should receive credit or payment when someone’s voice is used to make them. Those issues can affect artists, producers, record labels and listeners as AI tools become part of music-making.