Just hours before Beyoncé’s Renaissance album was released to the masses on Friday, “I’m Bossy” singer Kelis hopped on social media to explain her disdain about the use of her 2003 song “Milkshake” for Bey’s song “Energy.”
According to Page Six, when one of Kelis’ official fan pages posted that Bey would be using what we now know is an interpolation of “Milkshake,” Kelis hopped into the comments to clarify that she was never made aware that the song would be apart of the highly-anticipated album.
“My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding,” she wrote in one comment, later adding: “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.”
When another user commented that a collab between Queen Bey and Kelis was what the world needed, Kelis responded: “It’s not a collab it’s theft.”
Kelis later posted a couple of videos further detailing why she felt a way, explaining that her beef isn’t just with Beyoncé, but also Pharrell, whom she felt “swindled” her out of her rights to her music and used her song as a “direct hit” to her. (For context, Kelis was signed to Pharrell early on in her career.)
“Pharell knows better,” she said. “This is a direct hit at me. The reality is, this is frustrating. I have the right to be frustrated.”
In her second video, she later added: “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.”
Neither Beyoncé nor Pharrell have publicly responded to Kelis’ response.