Kanye West is being sued by the parents to Natalie Green, the then 4-year-old girl who the rapper used as a sample at the beginning of his album “Life of Pablo.”
If you’ve listened to West’s album, you’ll hear the voice of a little girl in the intro song “Ultralight Beam.” In the audio, which was taken from a viral 2016 clip, you can hear Green reciting a prayer back when she was four. However, Green’s parents, Andrew and Shirley, say they never authorized the Chicago rapper to use their daughter’s likeness in his project.
Andrew and Shirley Green are the adoptive parents of Natalie, who were never informed about the sample. Instead, Kanye reached out to Natalie’s biological mother, Alice Johnson, who was not authorized to give permission. The Greens say they also allegedly never received payment or written license for Natalie’s sample. Now, they are seeking compensation from “Ultralight Beam” in addition to other damages.
Kanye West has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
