Kanye West still hasn’t paid ‘Vultures’ producers for their work
Kanye West still hasn’t compensated some producers who worked across his Vultures albums, it has been alleged.
The collaborative projects with Ty Dolla $ign, which were released in February and August, benefitted from a hefty number of contributors who reportedly haven’t seen a single payment for their work.
According to Billboard, over ten producers who worked on Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 haven’t been paid for their services, despite both albums being released a while ago. “We’ve had trouble receiving a producer agreement from Ye,” said lawyer Brittney Trigg, who represents one of the producers on Vultures 1.
Five lawyers have claimed it’s been more difficult to receive compensation than usual. Kanye West has allegedly gone through several attorneys to help clear songs and disburse royalties to collaborators, causing difficulty to the process. Lawyers representing some of these producers have come together in an effort to get their clients paid the fees they deserve.
“We have clients who’ve produced music on the Vultures album(s) and have still not been paid for their services even though both albums have been released,” said music attorney Bob Celestin. “Presently, we have no idea when payment will be made, which is so unfortunate and unfair. You would think Ye would be more sensitive to this issue because he is a producer.”
Lawyer Jason Berger said that in around “nine out of 10 deals, the producer has not been paid the day the music comes out,” with Celestin adding that producers can go over a year without getting paid. “We have no recourse besides to try to sue [Ye],” an attorney said. “But that’s costly.” Another lawyer stated, “Legal claims against Ye don’t really seem to go anywhere.”
West’s team have reportedly offered buyouts in recent months, but the unusual deal means they’d only receive a flat fee and wouldn’t earn royalties if the album regains its costs. Multiple lawyers have rejected the offers.
Vultures 1 debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 149,000 units in its first week, whereas Vultures 2 opened at number two with 107,000 units. Across the two albums, features came from the likes of Travis Scott, Chris Brown, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Lil Durk, Kodak Black, Future, Lil Baby and many others.