Kelis accuses Beyoncé of ‘theft’ for sampling her song on ‘Renaissance’
Kelis accused Beyoncé of “theft” after Queen Bey sampled her 2003 song “Milkshake” in “Energy.”
The “Caught Out There” singer, 42, took to Instagram to share her grievances on Thursday, one day ahead of Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album release.
“My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding,” read a comment from Kelis’ @bountyandfull Instagram account on a fan account’s post.
“I heard about this the same way everyone else did,” she continued. “Nothing is ever as it seems, some of the people in this business have no soul or integrity and they have everyone fooled.”
When an Instagram user called the track “the collab the world really needs,” Kelis clapped back.
“It’s not a collab it’s theft,” she wrote, going on to call the sampling “ridiculous.”
The chef subsequently posted Instagram videos describing her “issues” with Beyoncé, 40, saying that she feels “sensitive about [her] s–t” as an musician.
“Not only are we black female artists in an industry where there’s not that many of us, we’ve met each other, we know each other, we have mutual friends. It’s not that hard to contact [me],” she said. “It’s just common decency … even if you’re gonna do it anyway.”
Kelis clarified that her “real beef” was not with the Ivy Park creator, alleging that producer Pharell Williams “swindled” her out of the rights to her music.
“Pharell knows better,” she claimed. “This is a direct hit at me. The reality is, this is frustrating. I have the right to be frustrated.”
After calling the move “passive agrressive, petty [and] stupid,” Kelis shared a second video captioned, “There are bully’s [sic] and secrets and gangsters in this industry that smile and get away with it until someone says enough is enough. So I’m saying it today. I’m coming for what’s mine and I want reparations.”
Fans have shared mixed feelings via Twitter. about the former “Pitch Battle” judge’s accusations.
“She just wanted to be notified. I totally understand her indignation,” one social media user wrote, while another added, “Beyoncé could [have] left Kelis’ name off it. Instead, Bey put Kelis’s name on the list of sample credits. … Kelis needs 2 take up her misplaced anger with her former label.”
A third noted that it’s “OK to understand Kelis’ point and still support Beyoncé,” explaining, “My hope is that a conversation takes place between them. Black queens can have conflict and also resolve.”
Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album hit streaming services on Friday — although all 16 tracks were leaked online two days prior.
Page Six has reached out to reps for Kelis and Beyoncé for comment.
