Ozzy Osbourne has strongly criticized Kanye West, accusing him of using a sample of a BLACK SABBATH classic during a listening party for the rapper’s forthcoming album
Formerly known as Kanye, now Ye, he alongside Ty Dolla $ign, held the listening event at the United Center in Chicago on Thursday (February 11) in anticipation of the release of the “Vultures” LP. During the event, a track played featuring a sample from Ozzy Osbourne‘s live rendition of “War Pigs” at his solo concert during the US Festival in 1983.
Earlier today, Ozzy Osbourne posted the following message on social media (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!”
According to reports from Page Six, West made an appearance at the listening party dressed in all black and wearing a Jason Voorhees mask.
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.
It’s worth noting that in 2010, West previously sampled BLACK SABBATH‘s “Iron Man” on his track “Hell Of A Life” from the album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” Additionally, last Halloween, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne dressed up as Kanye and his wife Bianca Censori.
In a separate incident, a photo surfaced online last month showing Kanye wearing a t-shirt from the controversial Norwegian black metal band BURZUM. BURZUM was founded by Kristian “Varg” Vikernes, who served 16 years in prison for the murder of MAYHEM guitarist Oystein Aarseth and burning down three churches.
In 2016, Kanye was featured in a rap song by Gucci Mane, “Pussy Print”, which sampled BURZUM‘s 1996 track “Rundgang Um Die Transzendentale Säule Der Singularität”.
In December, several media outlets noted that the layout and typography for “Vultures” echoes album covers by BURZUM.
After Vikernes was released from prison, he continued to express extreme views on his web site, claiming that “civil war, race war and a return to extreme nationalism” are “the only solution.” He added: “Nothing other than a new Ice Age can stop immigration from Asia and Africa.”
As reported by the Mirror, Ozzy Osbourne’s spouse and manager shared insights into Ozzy Osbourne‘s stage return during her new “Cut The Crap” tour in London. The tour is scheduled to hit Birmingham this Wednesday and will then return to London the following weekend.
Sharon discussed the chances of Ozzy Osbourne performing live again, saying: “He won’t tour again, but we are planning on doing two more shows to say goodbye as he feels like ‘I have never said goodbye to my fans and I want to say goodbye properly’.” Seeming to suggest the venue could be Aston Villa’s stadium Villa Park, she added: “We will do it in Aston Villa where Ozzy is from.
“His voice is still absolutely perfect,” she continued. “And all the time he has been off, he still does his singing lessons, so his voice is perfect. And he can joke, yeah. He has all these melodies in his head. Even if you don’t like his music, you can’t not like Ozzy; he just draws you in.”
In the past four years, Ozzy Osbourne disclosed his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease, an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that progresses slowly. Additionally, he faced challenges such as a severe fall and the displacement of metal rods implanted in his spine after a quad-bike incident in 2003.
Last September, Ozzy Osbourne opened up about his series of operations in an interview with Metal Hammer as he shared his hopes of making “one more album” and a return to touring.
“I’ve had all the surgery now, thank God,” the 75-year-old said. “I’m feeling okay. It was just dragging on. I thought I’d be back on my feet months ago. I just couldn’t get used to this mode of living, constantly having something wrong. I can’t walk properly yet, but I’m not in any pain anymore and the surgery on my spine went great.”
Osbourne also discussed his plans for 2024, saying: “I’m getting myself fit. I’ve done two albums fairly recently [2020’s ‘Ordinary Man’ and 2022’s ‘Patient Number 9’], but I want to do one more album and then go back on the road.”
Last July, the BLACK SABBATH frontman had to pull out of the Power Trip festival due to persistent physical issues.
Despite various health setbacks, including contracting COVID-19 two years ago, Ozzy had to cancel numerous previously announced tours. However, expressing optimism about his condition, the musician maintained that he would make a return if his health improved.
Ozzy Osbourne‘s much-anticipated European tour alongside JUDAS PRIEST, initially slated for 2019 and rescheduled thrice, was officially called off in early February 2023.
Despite the health challenges, Ozzy Osbourne has graced the stage a few times in recent years, delivering memorable performances at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022 and the NFL halftime show during the season opener between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills in September 2022.