Kanye West samples Backstreet Boys song... without permission

Kanye West is back with new music and new drama.  

The rapper hosted a listening party for his new album with Ty Dolla $ign, 'Vultures', this week. In true Kanye style, it was filled with many jaw-dropping moments. 

One of the songs Ye previewed featured a sample from the Backstreet Boys' hit song, 'Everybody'. It was unexpected, but sampling one of the biggest songs from the 90s is pure genius on Kanye's part.

His version, 'Everybody' (Yeezy's Back), features Charlie Wilson, Ty Dolla $ign, and Lil Baby. 

Kanye shared a snippet of the song ahead of Monday night's listening session.

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There is, however, a big "but" when it comes to the song. According to TMZ, Kanye and his team did not get permission from the Backstreet Boys to use the sample. 

Sources told the publication that the group's members - Kevin Richardson, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and Brian Littrell - did not clear the track.

However, according to Variety, Kanye can get away with using the song without their approval as he would need the record label and/or publisher's approval. 

None of the Backstreet Boys band members are credited as writers or producers of the song. 

Variety also noted that the song technically uses an interpolation and not a sample. Kanye would therefore only need the publisher's permission - unless he is pulling a David Guetta, and has no intention of releasing the song officially. 

Earlier this year, David used AI to generate Eminem's voice for a song he played at one of his gigs. 

Despite playing the song publicly, it was not released commercially on any music platforms - which meant he could get away with it. 

However, some people felt that because he was playing the track at paid events he should have gotten permission from Eminem to use AI to replicate his voice.

ALSO READ: Drake joins the Backstreet Boys on stage for epic performance

Kanye, however, has listed 'Everybody' as one of the songs that will feature on his upcoming album.

Kanye appears to be familiar with the Backstreet Boys and their music. In 2018, the rapper shared a picture of himself singing with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. 

"We sang Backstreet Boys’ ‘I Want It That Way,'” he captioned the image. The picture did not have any audio so it is unclear if they were singing that particular song. 

Another big moment from Kanye's listening session involved his daughter North West. She performed a new song she recorded with her father. 

“I love it here / we gonna take over the year for another year / it’s your bestie, Miss Miss Westie/ don’t try to test me /it’s gonna get messy, it’s gonna get messy / just, just bless me,” she raps. 

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Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign's album is due for release on December 15.

Main image credit: Instagram/ (@backstreetboys, @kimkardashian)

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