Kanye West is facing a lawsuit from performer Chase Taylor, who accuses the rapper and other defendants of “multiple unfair and deceptive trade practices” connected to the musician’s controversial 2019 “Nebuchadnezzar” opera. The complaint places the project’s chaotic preparation and alleged treatment of artists at the center of the dispute.

Taylor described the experience as “abusive conditions” while working with West, 49, on what was billed as a “biblical opera.” Court documents obtained by Page Six on Friday detail his account of the rehearsals, performance preparations, and promises he says were made to secure his work.

According to Taylor, he traveled from North Carolina to Wyoming one week before he was scheduled to perform. He alleged that he arrived expecting to rehearse but instead learned the opera still had not been completed, leaving the participating artists with a compressed deadline before the Hollywood Bowl performance.

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Taylor claimed he and other artists were locked inside a band room at Cody High School and told to compose the music. Their assignment, according to his lawsuit, was to make the Hollywood Bowl production ready in only four days despite the unfinished state of the project.

The complaint states, “Defendants locked the door and ordered Taylor to work until the opera was done. To secure Taylor’s compliance, defendants including West promised lucrative compensation, producer credit, and future work.” Taylor alleges those promises were used to keep him working under the demanding circumstances.

He also claims West “ignored” requests to “unlock the band room doors, provide sufficient food and water and provide appropriate time off for the musicians to sleep.” The complaint further alleges West did not “meaningfully participate in the creative process” beyond offering “vague platitudes” and “cryptic non-directions.”

In another striking passage, the lawsuit says, “He arranged to have personal massages in the band room and stayed only for the duration of those massages. He also hosted meet-and-greets with locals and press while in the rehearsal space.”

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Taylor alleges the upheaval continued as showtime approached. One day before the performance, he claims, “West fired half of the dancers (saying there were too many white people), demanded substantial rewrites with little or no instruction, and asked [him] to write synthesizer parts for each of the songs in the show.”

Money and the opera’s stated purpose are also part of Taylor’s complaint. He alleges he was “repeatedly told the operas were non-profit engagements performed for religious purposes,” but now claims that “was a lie” because “West and his co-defendant companies charged attendees for tickets, and, on information and belief, pocketed the profits.”

The lawsuit was filed in North Carolina on Wednesday. West’s representative did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment, while Rolling Stone was the first outlet to report on the lawsuit Thursday.

The dispute follows another lawsuit from musician Willie Alexander, who sued West last year. Alexander alleged negligent and intentional misrepresentation, misappropriation of his likeness, and false promises that induced him to provide professional services at a reduced rate.

Alexander made similar allegations about the Wyoming production. He claimed he traveled there and ended up “discover[ing] that the opera had not been written at all,” after which he was allegedly “required to compose and arrange the opera, largely from scratch.”

His case remains pending in Los Angeles Superior Court, with a settlement conference scheduled for January. West also has a settlement hearing in December tied to a class action lawsuit brought against him in the summer of 2020.

That class action involved allegations of labor violations, misclassification, unpaid wages, lack of breaks and working conditions. Hundreds of performers and other workers were granted a $1.35 million settlement in 2025, adding another legal chapter involving labor connected to West’s productions.

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