Ozzy Osbourne Says Kanye “Ye” West Sampled His Music Without Permission

Lexy Perez
·3 min read
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Ozzy Osbourne is speaking out after Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, allegedly used a sample of his music without his approval.

In a social media post shared Friday, the rocker called out West in all caps, writing, “@kanyewest ASKED PERMISSION TO SAMPLE A SECTION OF A 1983 LIVE PERFORMANCE OF ‘WAR PIG’ FROM THE US FESTIVAL WITHOUT VOCALS.”

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Osbourne went on to say that West was “REFUSED PERMISSION BECAUSE HE IS AN ANTISEMITE AND HAS CAUSED UNTOLD HEARTACHE TO MANY.”

“HE WENT AHEAD AND USED THE SAMPLE ANYWAY AT HIS ALBUM LISTENING PARTY LAST NIGHT. I WANT NO ASSOCIATION WITH THIS MAN,” Osbourne wrote.

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to West’s rep for comment.

According to Billboard, Ye held a listening party at Chicago’s United Center along with the release of his single with Ty Dolla $ign featuring his 10-year-old daughter North. Ye was set to release his Vultures album on Friday, but it dropped on Saturday instead.

Osbourne’s claims come after Ye issued an apology statement in Hebrew last December to the Jewish community for “any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions,” as translated by The Jerusalem Post.

As reported by Rolling Stone, statements Ye allegedly made in Las Vegas were caught by livestreamers in attendance.

“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for my unplanned outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity.”

The comments made at the Vultures listening party added to the industry-wide criticism Ye has received for making antisemitic statements on social media and in videos and interviews. Ye also addressed his loss of brand sponsorships and partnerships during the event.

Among the companies that have severed ties with the rapper are Gap, CAA, MRC — they pulled the plug on a doc about the rapper — and Peloton. Meanwhile, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram locked Ye’s accounts following his statements. UTA’s Jeremy Zimmer also called for a boycott of the rapper.

West made antisemitic comments in various interviews, some of which were pulled before airing including a Drink Champs episode and LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The Shop podcast over his use of “hate speech.”

Then, in an interview for Piers Morgan Uncensored last year, Ye repeated antisemitic and George Floyd murder conspiracies. In a December 2022 interview with Alex Jones, the rapper referenced antisemitic stereotypes, made antisemitic jokes and praised Hitler, stating that he saw “good things about Hitler” and that Nazis “did good things, too.” Following the rapper’s comments, President Joe Biden shared a statement denouncing Holocaust denialism.

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