Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, reportedly made no money from “Through the Wire,” according to songwriter David Foster.
The Grammy-winning producer discussed the situation on the Jan. 14 episode of the And The Writer Is… podcast, claiming Ye was denied a share of the publishing on his 2003 debut single.
“Through the Wire,” which later appeared on Ye’s 2004 album The College Dropout, prominently sampled Chaka Khan’s 1985 song “Through the Fire,” co-written by Foster alongside Tom Keane and Cynthia Weil.
“You have the sample that defines [Ye’s] career,” podcast host Ross Golan told Foster. “‘Through the Wire’ is presumably the biggest sample of your catalog.”
“Yeah, it was massive. It felt great. A free round two,” Foster responded. “Funny story about that. I wrote that song with my friend Tom Keane, and the lyrics were done by Cynthia Weil … And when Kanye’s camp is like, ‘Hey, we want to use your song all the way through this record, and he wants 50 percent of the writing,’ or whatever. I was like, ‘OK.’”
Foster explained that he was open to giving Ye the credit, noting that the rapper was “getting really huge” at the time.
“I would’ve given it to him, would’ve given him half,” Foster said.
However, co-writer Cynthia Weil reportedly pushed back, insisting that she, Foster, and Tom Keane remain the sole credited writers on the song.
“Cynthia was like, ‘Fuck that. No, he gets nothing,’” Foster recalled. “So he got nothing. We still remain the 100 percent writers. Ain’t that something?”
Foster described Weil’s stance as “bold,” especially considering Ye produced the instrumental for “Through the Wire” and penned the rap verses. The “Heartless” artist famously recorded the track while recovering from a 2002 car accident that left his jaw wired shut.
While it’s unclear exactly how much Ye could have earned from publishing, it’s likely the amount would have been significant. “Through the Wire” went platinum and peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The song also sparked tension between Ye and Chaka Khan. The singer previously said she was unhappy with how Ye sped up her vocals on the track, though she later admitted she regretted the fallout.
“That was my fault, too, for feeling salty about that in any way,” Khan told Rolling Stone in 2023. “Because if I understood the rap game more completely, like I do now, then that wouldn’t have been a big deal to me… I’m done. Please. I’m not hanging on to any silly grudges.”
