Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 08/28/2012 at 10:51 AM News

The Popdust Files: kanye west

Cut to Paul Sorvino waiting outside the courtroom steps: “Eh, Kanye, you popped your cherry!” Yes, ‘Yeezy has beaten the rap on his lawsuit from 2010, over 2006 chart-topper “Stronger,” which musician Vincent Peters sued the rapper/producer over on grounds of copyright infringement. Peters says that Kanye copied a song he sent to West associate John Monopoly in 2006, and though the case was originally dismissed, he appealed to a higher court. However, now the judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed that appeal too, and Kanye appears to be totally off the hook.

However, Kanye didn’t do it alone—he had help from some very powerful, influential friends: Kelly Clarkson and Friedrich Nietzsche. The two’s usage of variations on the popular maxim “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”—popularized by Nietzsche, and recently re-introduced by Clarkson in her #1 hit “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”—helped establish the popular usage of the phrase, not tied specifically to any one recording. And so the legendary philosopher and the inaugural American Idol winner end up bailing out Kanye once more.

You're WELLLLLCOOOOOOME!!

Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

A LITTLE gratitude would be nice....

Sounds like somebody owes a couple somebodies a card or gift or something. Do the right thing, Kanye.

[Pitchfork]