The reason why Kanye West likes being sued
Kanye West has always been a loose cannon, who becomes particularly difficult to manage when caught up in a stream of bitter depositions. In an interview with WPCG 98.5 Radio, he mused that he “almost borderline like[s] being sued” – depositions being “the only time where I can be myself”.
It’s a bold, defiant take, but West is well aware that under oath, he can say whatever he wants, free from PR spin or label pressure.
Take the 2013 ‘Bound 2’ case, where soul singer Ricky Spicer (of the 1970s group The Ponderosa Twins Plus One) sued West for sampling a 1971 song ‘Bound‘ without permission. Spicer told reporters he was “stunned” to hear his childhood voice on ‘Bound 2’, a track on Kanye’s Yeezus album. He filed suit in December 2013, naming West’s labels (Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam/Island, Rhino, UMG) in a complaint that demanded West pay up or stop using the sample altogether.
And yet, the fight quietly ended in May 2015, when Spicer’s team dropped the case. Reports indicated West likely settled privately – a typical outcome once depositions and hearings reveal the facts.
In public, though, Kanye can always frame it as just another moment he “beat the system”, even if it ended with a stack of lawyers and a payoff. This would also be far from the last time his sampling habits dragged him into legal trouble, in fact, it has followed him even up to his most recent projects.
A similar script played out with EMI Music Publishing, who Kanye sued in January 2019 over a publishing contract he signed in 2003, blasting it as “lifetime servitude”. EMI fired back with an aggressive counter-suit in March, pointing to multiple signed extensions that reaffirmed their deal, which threatened to tie Kanye up for years unless he could outlast the label in court.
But by mid-January 2020, the smoke had cleared, and both sides quietly agreed to settle all claims. Court filings on 13th January 2020 noted that an “agreement in principle” had been reached and the case would close on 14th February 2020. In other words, the battle was won on Kanye’s terms – in private – just as he released the gospel album Jesus Is King and other projects.
Kanye’s love of confrontation fits a broader pattern of pushing back on institutions. If he feels hemmed in, he’ll sue, walk, or self-release. In Kanye’s view, they’re just another stage to assert himself.