Kelis has slammed Beyoncé following a sampling row.
Beyoncé has shared her new album ‘Renaissance’ in full, and it features a glittering array of guest producers, vocalists, and more. Utilising a string of samples, Bey is able to lean on the greatness of historic Black artistry, while pursuing new pathways in the process.
A full Clash review is incoming – we need time to digest her work, people! – but one opinion is already going viral. Kelis is sampled on ‘Renaissance’ song ‘Energy’, which lifted aspects of her 2000 track ‘Get Along With You’.
The American artist is furious with Beyoncé, and in a video post said Bey had “no soul or integrity” following the move, which she took personally.
Citing shared friends and acquaintances, Kelis seemed to be most fired up about the role Neptunes – production team Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams – played. The singer worked with the studio crew around the Millennium, but the relationship turned sour with Kelis accusing them of “stealing” her profits.
She doesn’t own the rights to ‘Get Along With You’, but clearly feels aggrieved at this turn of events. In an initial note on socials, Kelis wrote:
“My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all three parties involved is astounding… I heard about this the same way everyone else did. Nothing is ever as it seems, some of the people in this business have no soul or integrity and they have everyone fooled.”
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Kelis later posted a video aimed at Beyoncé and her producers, saying Bey isn’t a feminist, and that Chad Hugo is spineless.
Kelis response to Beyoncé 😳
— 🗝 (@DiaryOfKeysus) July 28, 2022
THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING!! pic.twitter.com/MfjD6sdolm
The Bey-hive circled the wagons, and sure Kelis’ invective is a little much, but we can’t write her out of pop history – she’s a major innovator.
Peak music Twitter lunacy is framing Kelis as some failed musician as if she’s not a MF innovator who continues to tour the world. These jokes about her farm and culinary business is weird at best. Like damn she built a biz from the ground up and she’s the loser? Huh?
— Gerrick Kennedy (@GerrickKennedy) July 29, 2022
Beyoncé has yet to comment on the row.
