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Kanye West Sued by Family of Girl From “Ultralight Beam” Prayer: Report

The girl’s adoptive parents claim Kanye got invalid permission from biological mother

Kanye West photo by Scott Dudelson/FilmMagic
Kanye West photo by Scott Dudelson/FilmMagic

Kanye West is being sued by the parents of Natalie Green, the then-4-year-old girl he sampled at the beginning of his Life of Pablo opener Ultralight Beam, as TMZ reports. Andrew and Shirley Green claim that Kanye got permission from the wrong parents to use the sample of Natalie’s prayer, which went viral at the beginning of 2016.

The Greens, who adopted Natalie, reportedly claim in court documents that Kanye cleared the sample through her biological mother Alice Johnson, who was not authorized to give permission. The Greens also allegedly state Johnson never received a written license or payment for the use of Natalie’s voice, and are seeking profits from “Ultralight Beam” in addition to other damages. Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Kanye for more information.