Ozzy Osbourne Says He Denied Kanye West’s Request to Sample ‘War Pigs’ on New Album: ‘He Is an Antisemite’
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Ozzy Osbourne has called out Kanye West on X for sampling a live version of “War Pigs” without permission, describing him as “an antisemite [who] has caused untold heartache to many.”
Osbourne apparently denied West’s request to feature a section of the Black Sabbath song on the rapper’s new album, but West “went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night” (in Chicago on Thursday).
More from Variety
Osbourne added, “I want no association with this man!”
Back in 2010, West paid homage to Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” on the “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” track “Hell of a Life,” apparently without objection from the singer; plus, Osbourne and his wife Sharon dressed up as West and his wife Bianca Censori for Halloween last year. However, his continued antisemitic comments, and his refusal to offer anything more than a seemingly ChatGPT-generated apology, has made him a pariah to all except the most dedicated fans — of which there are many thousands, judging by the attendance at his listening sessions.
West hosted a listening party for his new album “Vultures” with Ty Dolla $ign at Chicago’s United Center Thursday night, but the album, which was supposed to drop Feb. 9, has yet to be released, which is par for the course for West. It’s unclear if West will remove the “War Pigs” sample for fear of litigation. It’s also unclear if a major label is set to distribute “Vultures,” after Universal Music Group announced in 2022 that Def Jam would sever ties with the disgraced rapper. West is allegedly hosting another listening party for “Vultures” Friday night in New York at UBS Arena.
Variety has tapped West’s representative for comment.
West has been at the center of controversy ever since he proclaimed on X in October 2022 that he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people.” Since then, the Grammy-winning rapper has delivered numerous antisemitic rants full of conspiracy theories about Jews, and reports have alleged that he has idolized Adolf Hitler for two decades. He recently rapped, “How I’m antisemitic? I just fucked a Jewish bitch” on his song “Vultures,” the first single from the upcoming angle. And on an unreleased song previewed at the Chicago event, he raps, “And I’m still crazy, bipolar, antisemite / And I’m still the king.”
After his initial antisemitic outbursts, West was dropped by his agency, CAA, and lost his fashion partnerships with Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap. Foot Locker and TJ Maxx also ceased selling apparel from West’s Yeezy brand. In December 2023, West posted an apology to the Jewish people, written in Hebrew.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
