Kanye West Fires Back at Ozzy Osbourne Over Sampling Dispute
In response to Ozzy Osbourne‘s recent criticism of him sampling BLACK SABBATH’s “War Pigs” without permission, Kanye West took to his Instagram Story on Friday (Feb. 9) to share an old Halloween snapshot from 2023. The picture depicted Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne dressed up as Kanye and his wife, Bianca Censori.
Alongside the photo, Kanye included a text message response, suggesting that Ozzy Osbourne likely had someone managing his social media account: “He obviously has a celebrity handler who’s on his account.”
Furthermore, during the “Vultures” listening party at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, Kanye made a switch by replacing “Carnival” with his 2010 track “Hell of a Life,” which contained a legally cleared sample of BLACK SABBATH‘s “Iron Man,” as reported by Rolling Stone.
Additionally, on the “Vultures 1” album, released on Saturday (Feb. 10), “Carnival” no longer featured the controversial “War Pigs” sample; instead, a fuzzy guitar feedback was substituted in its place.
The controversy ignited on Friday (Feb. 9) when Ozzy learned that Kanye had utilized a sample from Osbourne’s 1983 live performance of “War Pigs“, recorded at the US festival, during his “Vultures” listening party in Chicago the day before. Taking to social media, Ozzy publicly condemned Kanye‘s actions, labeling him an anti-Semite and attributing him to causing “untold heartache to many.”
Ozzy Osbourne posted (and yes it was all caps): “Kanye West ASKED PERMISSION TO SAMPLE A SECTION OF A 1983 LIVE PERFORMANCE OF ‘WAR PIG’ [sic] FROM THE US FESTIVAL WITHOUT VOCALS & WAS REFUSED PERMISSION BECAUSE HE IS AN ANTISEMITE AND HAS CAUSED UNTOLD HEARTACHE TO MANY. HE WENT AHEAD AND USED THE SAMPLE ANYWAY AT HIS ALBUM LISTENING PARTY LAST NIGHT. I WANT NO ASSOCIATION WITH THIS MAN!”
One track from the LP reportedly contains lyrics where West raps, “And I’m still crazy, bipolar, antisemite / And I’m still the king.”
In recent years, West has faced criticism for making antisemitic remarks, resulting in being named “antisemite of the year” by the watchdog group StopAntisemitism in 2022. Following these remarks, several of his sponsors severed ties with him.
Earlier this week, West expressed his struggles in booking venues for his shows due to his past comments. In a now-deleted Instagram post on Tuesday, the 24-time Grammy winner lamented, “I have not been allowed to perform in a year. Feels like the Elvis Presley movie.” He also revealed that the only arena he managed to secure for his tour was the United Center in his hometown.
