Beyoncé Reportedly Removes Kelis Interpolation From ‘Renaissance’

While Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment has confirmed the removal of an ableist slur from Renaissance, reports have surfaced about another potential change to the album.

Ahead of Renaissance‘s release, Kelis took to social media accusing Bey of “theft” and “utter ignorance” for the use of her 2003 single, “Milkshake” on “ENERGY.” When the album’s credits first surfaced, the singer-turned-enterpreneur responded with a comment from her business account, @bountyandfull. “My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.” She later added, “it’s not a collab. It’s theft.”

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Earlier this week, several outlets reported that the “Milkshake” interpolation was removed on the TIDAL and Apple Music versions of “ENERGY.” Although Kelis is credited as the lead vocalist on “Milkshake,” the song’s writing and production credits belong to The Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo). The duo also maintains full ownership of the song.

Industry veteran Naima Cochrane pointed out on Twitter that Hugo and Pharrell are still listed in the official credits for “ENERGY,” while Kelis’ name appeared in the original list of sampled artists. Cochrane also noticed that what Bey actually did, was remove Kelis’ name from the aforementioned list and remove the part of “ENERGY” that contained the interpolation in question.

Hear the varying versions of “ENERGY” below.

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