Kanye West removes sample of Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ following Ozzy Osbourne criticism

Kanye West has removed a sample of Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ on his new album after criticism from both Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne.

• READ MORE: With his “White Lives Matter” stunt, has Kanye West finally hit the point of no return? 

On Friday (February 9), Ozzy hit out at West, calling him an “anti-Semite” and claiming the rapper used the sample of Sabbath’s song on his new album ‘‘Vultures’ without permission. West reportedly played the clip during an event promoting his new album with Ty Dolla $ign on February 8 at the United Center in Chicago.

Ozzy wrote in a post that West “asked permission to sample a section of a 1983 live performance of ‘War Pigs’ from the US festival without vocals” but was subsequently “refused permission because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many.” The post was later amended to the song ‘Iron Man’.

Osbourne added: “He went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night. I want no association with this man!”

Sharon also subsequently hit out at West, saying he “fucked with the wrong Jew this time”. Speaking to TMZ, Sharon, who was raised as Jewish, said that Ozzy typically doesn’t refuse to clear samples – but in West’s case, he had “special fucking occasion to say no”.

She went on to brand West as a “disrespectful anti-Semite”, saying that these days he “represents hate”. The Osbournes have also reportedly sent off a cease and desist to West.

Now, according to Rolling Stone, West has removed the sample from ‘Carnival’ on his album. He has since replaced it with a sample of West’s song ‘Hell Of A Life’, which features a legally-cleared sample of ‘Iron Man’. NME has reached out to representatives of West for comment.

. @KANYEWEST ASKED PERMISSION TO SAMPLE A SECTION OF A 1983 LIVE PERFORMANCE OF “IRON MAN” 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

West was first accused of anti-Semitism in October 2022 following a series of posts on both Twitter and Instagram, which saw his accounts on both social media sites suspended.

Following the initial claims of anti-Semitism, the rapper was dropped by his lawyer, talent agency and record label, while several fashion brands – including Balenciaga and Adidas –  ended their partnerships with him. Celebrities and politicians around the world condemned his comments, while West said he didn’t “believe” in the term antisemitism in an interview with News Nation‘s Chris Cuomo.

He recently issued an apology to the Jewish community for his anti-Semitic comments.

On December 26, West shared a post written in Hebrew. Translated into English, the message read: “I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.

“I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me and I am committed to making amends and promoting greater unity.”

Previously, Ozzy and Sharon dressed up as Kanye and his wife Bianca Censori last year, mimicking a stunt where they attended an event with the rapper in all black and wife his face hidden while Censori was seemingly only holding a cushion to cover herself.