Kanye West Pays Up For Unauthorized Drink A Yak Sample

March 21, 2026

Kanye West settles a copyright dispute with Memphis rappers just before his Bully album hits streaming platforms next week.

Kanye West just cleared another legal hurdle before his Bully album hits next week.

The rapper reached a settlement with Memphis rappers Criminal Manne and DJ Squeeky, and the estate of the late Kilo G, over copyright infringement claims tied to his 2024 track “F## Sumn.”

The dispute centered on an unauthorized sample of their 1994 song “Drink a Yak (Part 2),” which West and Ty Dolla $ign used without final clearance.

Court documents filed in federal court in Tennessee confirm that both sides have “reached a settlement agreement in principle resolving all claims.”

District Judge Thomas L. Parker granted the parties 30 days to submit a final written settlement.

The Memphis artists originally filed their complaint in November 2024, alleging West’s team reached out to clear the sample only after “F## Sumn” dropped.

Negotiations fell apart months later when West fired his entire legal and business team, according to court filings.

Ty Dolla $ign already settled his portion of the lawsuit back in July 2025, but West remained on the hook.

The settlement comes just days before West’s album Bully drops on March 27. The timing matters because West’s been dealing with serious legal pressure from multiple directions.

This isn’t West’s first rodeo with copyright claims. He’s been hit with 12 lawsuits for sampling issues since 2019.

His estate settled with Donna Summer’s family in May 2024 over the sampling of “I Feel Love” in “Good (Don’t Die).” That track got pulled from streaming entirely.

Reports suggest Bully itself contains uncleared samples from the Carpenters and the Supremes, which could spell more trouble ahead.

On top of everything, West was ordered to pay $140,000 last week after a jury found him liable in his Malibu mansion renovation case.

A former project manager claimed he got injured on the job and was wrongfully terminated. West’s already filed a motion to overturn that decision.

The settlement with the Memphis rappers represents one less headache as West tries to finally get “Bully” out into the world after multiple delays.

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