American rapper Kanye West sued by opera musician over false imprisonment claims

American rapper and fashion mogul Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, has been sued by an opera musician who says he was locked inside a Wyoming high school band room and ordered to finish the music for Ye's 2019 opera "Nebuchadnezzar."

Chase Taylor, a musician from North Carolina, filed the 45-page complaint in federal court in North Carolina on Nov. 11. It names Ye, companies linked to him and members of his team, and accuses them of fraud, false imprisonment and unfair and deceptive trade practices. Taylor also wants the court to declare him the copyright owner of music he says he wrote, and to award him a share of the profits from songs that he says used it. The filing does not put a dollar figure on the claim.

Taylor says he was recruited for a starring role in what he understood to be a finished opera. He flew to Wyoming, was taken to Cody High School and placed in the band room, the complaint says, and was expected to compose much of the score and make the production "performance-ready in just four days."

"Defendants locked the door and ordered Taylor to work until the opera was done," the complaint says.

Taylor alleges his requests to unlock the doors, provide food and water and let musicians sleep were ignored. He says he managed more than 150 performers, some of whom slept on the floor, and was promised pay, a producer credit and future work that never came.

The complaint also says Ye's team told him "Nebuchadnezzar" and a second opera, "Mary," were non-profit religious productions. Taylor calls that "a lie," alleging tickets were sold and the profits kept. He claims his compositions later turned up without permission or payment on commercially released songs, including the Travis Scott track "Telekinesis," on which Ye is a co-writer, and several songs on "Vultures 2."

A lawyer and a spokesperson for Ye could not be reached for comment on Nov. 12.

Earlier opera claims

"Nebuchadnezzar" was staged at the Hollywood Bowl in November 2019. Ye agreed to pay $1.35 million to settle a class action brought by performers and workers from that production, and the court granted final approval in July 2025. A separate suit by performer Willie Alexander in Los Angeles makes similar claims about being lured to Wyoming for the show.

Ye built his fortune on music and the Yeezy sneaker line. Forbes removed him from its billionaires list in October 2022 after Adidas ended the Yeezy partnership over his antisemitic remarks.