It’s been a tough week for Beyonce who has caused quite a stir with her forthcoming new album Cowboy Carter.
The Texas Hold ‘Em singer is getting ready to bless us with her eighth album on March 29.
On Wednesday, the 42-year-old unveiled the limited-edition vinyl cover on Instagram, and could be seen draped in nothing but a red, white and blue sash, with one hand covering her breast.
She styled her hair in very long braids with adorned with colorful beads – which were also placed at the end of her fringe.
Although the snap has racked up more than two million likes at the time of writing, and left many of us ready to pledge allegiance to all things Beyonce, one person who wasn’t too thrilled was soul singer Erykah – who appeared to accuse Bey of copying her signature look once again.
She shared the photo to her Instagram story, with the caption: ‘Hmmm.’
Following this, she took to Twitter in a bid to publicly reach out to Beyonce’s husband Jay Z, begging him to speak up.
‘To Jay Z . Say somethin Jay . You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me?? [sic],’ Erykah tweeted to her 2.7m followers.
While the music power couple have yet to publicly respond, Bey’s long-time publicist seemingly addressed Erykah’s comments with a well-timed montage video, showing all the times over the years that her boss has rocked braids.
Alongside the upload, she simply penned: ‘She slays. She slays. Now. Then. Always. act ii COWBOY CARTER 3.29 #criticswithoutcredentials.’
This isn’t the first time Erykah has risked the wrath of the Beyhive in recent months – as she also called the Single Ladies singer out last year during her Renaissance World Tour, questioning her decision to wear a chrome hat with an oversized brim.
While it resembles the black version that she sported in her 2016 Formation music video, Erykah voiced her belief that it was too similar to the style of hat she is also famed for wearing.
Posting side-by-side pictures of she and Bey wearing very similar chrome accessories, the Bag Lady singer commented: ‘Hmmm. I guess I’m everybody stylist.’
‘My favorite chrome mirror hat,’ she penned under another upload, before stating she was ‘flattered’ in a comment about Beyonce.
Erykah isn’t the only one who has called out Queen Bey this week as she’s also upset a famous New York museum.
The singer launched a stunt in the Big Apple that projected words about the album onto the front of buildings including the Guggenheim Museum. However, heads of the institution have since claimed Beyonce was never given the green light to use the building’s facade to promote her work.
In a statement shared with Artnews.com, Guggenheim bosses stated: ‘[The museum] was not informed about and did not authorise this activation.
‘However, we invite the public – including Beyonce and her devoted fans – to visit the museum May 16–20 when we present projections by artist Jenny Holzer on the facade of our iconic building to celebrate the opening of her major exhibition.’
Other buildings featured in the stunt include the Whitney Museum, the New Museum and the Museum of Art and Design. The projection featured phrases such as ‘This ain’t a country album. This is a ‘Beyonce album’ alongside the album’s name, release date and the singer’s website address.
Beyonce might be a little too preoccupied to deal with the drama as she is currently preparing to drop album number eight.
Sharing a rare, lengthy message with fans on social media, she explained that the tracks had been more than ‘five years in the making’, teasing that it stemmed from an experience where she felt unwelcomed.
‘This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t,’ she posted earlier this week.
‘But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.
‘The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.
‘I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.
‘I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop.
‘This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Beyonce’s reps for a comment.
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