Kanye West and Kid Cudi made their live debut of the duet project “Kids See Ghosts” this weekend in Los Angeles—with a set design allegedly stolen from Lorde.
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The performance was met by criticism, specifically from Lorde, who claimed that the “Kids See Ghost” stage design was an uncredited replica of her own.
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Lorde posted a series of photos to her Instagram story from her “Melodrama” tour on Monday and the Kids See Ghosts set, both featuring a floating glass box with electric colors. “I’m so proud of the work I do and it’s flattering when other artists feel inspired by it, to the extent that they choose to try it on themselves,” Lorde wrote on the last photo, from her own tour. “But don’t ever try to steal – not from women or anyone else.”
The annual Camp Flog Gnaw is a music festival created and hosted by rapper Tyler, the Creator; 2018 also featured ASAP Rocky, the Internet, SZA, and Jaden Smith.
One Reddit user pointed out that West and Lorde share a stage designer named Es Devlin, who has not commented on the controversy. Fans have expressed support for the all artists involved, some arguing that West has used the floating stage concept before.
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It’s not the first time West has been accused of stealing ideas. When the rapper visited the White House, he presented a 6-year-old idea for an iPlane 1 as his own. A Yeezus campaign this summer was also criticized for reappropriating fashion design.
West and Kid Cudi have not responded to Lorde’s accusations.
