Yeezus graced the stage performing all of his hits during the inaugural Meadows Festival in Queens, NY. | Photo by Vickey Ford (SneakShot) for Okayplayer.
Photo Credit: Vickey Ford for Okayplayer
Photo of Kanye West courtesy of Twitter.
Last year, Hungarian rock star Gábor Presser sued Kanye West for $2.5 million. The lawsuit stemmed from West sampling “Gyöngyhajú lány,” a song performed by Presser's band Omega. (You know the gorgeous last 90 seconds of "New Slaves?" That was Omega.)
News came out today that Kanye West has settled the lawsuit, literally two days before he was to be deposed in the case. Of course, the terms of the settlement have not been released, but, according to Reuters, Presser told a Hungarian outlet, “I am very glad it is over.”
The story of how Presser found out about "New Slaves" is interesting. Presser learned about the sample in May 2013, when he started seeing the song used in the promotional campaign for West’s concert tour. Presser soon received an email from West’s attorney where they gave Presser 48 hours to clear the sample.
Instead of rushing to a deal, Presser said he would let them continue to use the song, with the promise that a deal would be worked out in the near future. Soon after, Kanye West's team sent the Hungarian musician a check for $10,000, which obligated him “to consent to West’s unlawful use of the original composition.” He never cashed the check and continued trying to negotiate, to no avail.
Interesting saga for West and Presser. Glad to see the two figure out an arrangement.
H/T: Page Six
