Ozzy Osbourne slammed Kanye West for using a snippet of an old performance from his early solo days in a new song. The metal singer, 75, took to social media to let his fans know that he denied Yeezy, 46, the right to use the sample, and explained why, citing the pain that Kanye has caused with his antisemitic remarks. The song had reportedly premiered at a listening party for his new album Vultures in Chicago.
Ozzy revealed that Kanye had requested to sample a solo performance of one of his signature Black Sabbath songs “War Pigs” from an old festival after he’d left the band. “@Kanyewest asked permission to sample a section of a 1983 live performance of ‘War Pig’ (sic) from the US Festival without vocals and was refused permission because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many,” he wrote.
. @kanyewest ASKED PERMISSION TO SAMPLE A SECTION OF A 1983 LIVE PERFORMANCE OF “WAR PIG” 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…
— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) February 9, 2024
The Prince of Darkness continued and tried to distance himself from Ye. “He went ahead nad used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night,” Ozzy wrote. “I want no association with this man.”
While Ozzy may not want to associate with Kanye, he and his wife Sharon Osbourne did make reference to the rapper and his marriage to Bianca Censori with their Halloween costumes in October 2023. Sharon covered up with only a pillow and her husband sported an all-black outfit which covered almost his entire body, in an outfit similar to what Kanye is often seen wearing.
It’s unclear what song from the upcoming Kanye album uses the “War Pigs” sample, but the Ozzman clearly wasn’t pleased. While Kanye didn’t get permission this time around, it’s not the first time that he’s featured a track from Ozzy’s discography in his music. His 2010 song “Hell of a Life” has a sample of the Black Sabbath classic “Iron Man.”
Kanye received much backlash when he made a slew of antisemitic remarks on social media. Many brands that had previously worked with the rapper ended partnerships with him over the statements.