Kanye West was recorded clashing with a lawyer during a deposition related to an eight-figure lawsuit against the rapper for reportedly stealing technology.
Shown in the forthcoming A&E program Interrogation Raw: Celebrity Under Oath, the video captures Ye participating in the 2021 deposition through Zoom while initially declining to face the camera.
During the call, one of the lawyers, Michael Popok, inquires whether West is using his phone, to which the Chicago resident replies affirmatively that he is.
Kanye then objects to the request to stop using his phone during the deposition, replying: “Because of my mental genius, to concentrate on this nonsense, I require a phone.”
West’s lawyer, Ekwan Rhowe, subsequently intervenes at the urging of Popok, and Yeezy consents to refrain from using his phone — right before he defiantly dons a mask that obscures his entire face.
He subsequently says to Popok: “You are not entitled to look at my face.”
Things truly unravel when Popok inquires about the room Kanye is in, to which the provocative rap mogul responds furiously: “I’m not gonna tell you! “You will never see me again!”
Popok subsequently asks what other objects are present in the room with Ye, who retorts by shouting: “Are you foolish?! I won’t share anything else with you. I don’t have time to discuss, ‘I have a chair in the room.’ “You’re speaking with the wealthiest Black individual in American history!”
The deposition was a component of a 2020 lawsuit brought against Kanye West by the tech firm MyChannel, which initially sought $20 million in damages and a jury trial.
The founder of G.O.O.D. Music faced allegations of pledging a $10 million investment to the company while also appropriating their technology for his Sunday Service events.
MyChannel also asserted they dedicated 10,000 man hours to West and invested $7 million in his Yeezy label.
After the deposition, a lawyer for the tech firm remarked: “West’s malicious attempts to disrupt the deposition will be seen by the Court as one of the most shocking and unacceptable deposition displays it has witnessed.”
In 2021, Kanye came to an agreement with the company that resulted in both sides consenting to a dismissal and recognizing that they would cover their own legal expenses.
MyChannel also rejected all allegations against West, who continuously asserted his innocence.
