Kanye West has reportedly filed a lawsuit against two of the most influential record labels in his career.

The rap icon has filed two lawsuits against Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records and another against EMI. Although the details of both are believed to be heavily redacted, it appears that they’re directly linked to unpaid royalties and ownership rights.

Other sections of the lawsuit mention a “dispute between the parties’ rights and obligations to one another under the Recording Agreement and Extensions.”


As well as his own work, the lawsuit also reportedly mentions the songs that West produced for Jay-Z’s 2001 album The Blueprint.

Sony, which is the parent company of EMI, is yet to respond. West’s representatives are also yet to comment.

It comes after a social media rant last year that saw Kanye admitting he was keen to reclaim his publishing rights.

I went to go buy my publishing from Sony/ATV and they said, ‘It’s $8 million [or] $9 million’ and when I went to buy it, they told me ‘No,’ I couldn’t buy my publishing,” he said.

“I have the money to buy [back] my publishing,” West continued. “And they told me that I couldn’t buy my publishing…. It’s like the control.”


Meanwhile, it’s expected that Kanye could release anticipated album ‘Yandhi’ pretty soon. After a string of delays, he debuted new track ‘We’ll Find A Way’ last week, sparking speculation that the record isn’t too far away.