New year, new scandal for Kanye West, this time over French song hijack

Barely into the first week of January 2025, Kanye West – now known as Ye – has already sparked controversy. On Sunday, a video of the American rapper dancing to a sample from Pomme's song went viral online. It appears that Soleil Soleil, released in 2019 on the album Les failles, caught the rapper’s attention enough for him to consider incorporating it into a future musical project. The video, posted on X by @NFR_podcast, an account specializing in music news, reportedly garnered over 1.4 million views, eventually reaching Pomme herself. The artist promptly issued a statement on her Instagram account to clarify the situation and emphasize her lack of involvement in any project with the rapper.

Indeed, anyone familiar with Pomme’s universe, values, and causes would not expect her to be thrilled by this news. Between his antisemitic remarks, anti-abortion stance, accusations of sexual assault, and even allegations of slavery and sharing pornographic material, Ye’s highly problematic and condemnable behavior is far from aligning with the feminist and activist ideals that permeate Pomme’s songs and projects. "I am unaware of the source of the video and audio content circulating on social media these days, but I have never agreed to the use of this sample for reasons that seem obvious to me, as I am fundamentally opposed to the political views of this artist, whom I once greatly admired. Sometimes it's difficult to turn down certain opportunities, but I prefer to stay true to my core values," she explained on her account.

This isn’t the first time Ye has been caught "borrowing" songs or fragments from other artists without their permission. In 2024, Donna Summer’s estate accused the rapper of using the track I Feel Love in his song Good (Don't Die) without prior authorization. Similarly, Ozzy Osbourne expressed outrage after discovering a snippet of a performance by his band Black Sabbath used in one of the rapper’s songs, claiming the sample had been explicitly denied. While Pomme kicks off 2025 with notable success – following her hit Ma Meilleure Ennemie, performed alongside her Belgian counterpart Stromae, which broke records as the most-streamed French-language song in 24 hours – Kanye West’s trajectory has been far less positive. After a disastrous run in the U.S. presidential elections, where he garnered only 60,000 votes out of an estimated 160 million, Ye also faced backlash for repeated antisemitic comments since 2022, resulting in the termination of lucrative partnerships with Adidas and Balenciaga, costing him an estimated $2 billion in a single day.

Although no details have emerged about the use of Pomme’s sample beyond the video shared on X – which reportedly may have been filmed without the rapper's knowledge – let’s hope Pomme’s statement serves as a deterrent for Kanye West from pursuing any potential use of the French singer's work. The rapper, however, has yet to comment on the matter. We’ll find out upon the release of his album Bully, announced last September and slated for 2025, what Kanye has done with Soleil Soleil – hopefully leaving it untouched.