Kanye West is claiming that a report about his publishing being up for sale is false, and compares the situation to Taylor Swift's catalog fiasco.
On Tuesday (Sept. 20), Billboard published a report claiming Kanye West was testing the waters for offers for his publishing at the alleged evaluated price of $175 million. Ye has since come out claiming the report is a farce.
"Just like Taylor Swift … My publishing is being put up for sale without my knowledge … Not for sale," he wrote on his Instagram Story.
In a follow-up post, Kanye West shared a screenshot showing a direct message in which he directs someone to ask Ye's former manager, Gee Roberson, if he knows who is attempting to sell the rights to Kanye's music. The person replied, "From Gee … Fake news … Of course every publisher wants to pitch [their] hardest to buy. SMH."
XXL has reached out to Kanye West's team for comment.
Kanye is referring to the much-publicized dispute pop star Taylor Swift had with manager Scooter Braun over the acquisition of her back catalog in 2019. The move led to Swift rerecording her past works.
Famous musicians selling their publishing for a big lump sum has become more and more common in recent years. Recently, Chuck D reportedly sold a large portion of his Public Enemy catalog publishing rights. Future also recently sold his publishing in a reported eight-figure deal. Back in 2019, investment company Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited bought the rights to Timbaland's catalog. The same company purchased a majority stake in The-Dream's catalog for $23 million in 2018.