Kanye West and EMI have settled their lawsuit over the publishing contract the artist signed with the company in 2003. According to documents viewed by Pitchfork, West and EMI notified the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on January 13 that they had “reached an agreement in principle resolving all issues.” If neither party files motions to the contrary, the suit will be officially closed on February 14, 2020.
West initially sued EMI in January 2019, alleging that the publishing company, which has overseen his catalog since 2003, was trying to lock him into a lifetime career of “servitude.” EMI hit back with a federal suit in March, saying that West’s complaint was invalid because he had signed multiple contract extensions with the company. In September, it appeared the two parties had reached an agreement. That changed in December, when EMI made a last-minute decision to re-open the case. A judge gave the parties until January 13 to reach a new agreement.
At the end of 2019, West released his album Jesus Is King and premiered two operas, Nebuchadnezzar and Mary. Earlier this month, he released an album with the Sunday Service Choir called Jesus is Born.
