Beyoncé Removes Kelis Sample On "Energy": Report

BYAron A.18.4K Views
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Beyoncé accepts the Best Rap Performance award for 'Savage' onstage during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Kelis poses backstage during the 2nd annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards at The Beverly Hilton on June 24, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.
Kelis slammed Beyoncé and Pharrell after she was sampled on "Renaissance" without her permission.

It looks like Beyoncé is doing right by Kelis after the "Milkshake" singer claimed the Lemonade singer had "no soul." Ahead of the release of Renaissance, it was revealed that Kelis' song "Milkshake" was sampled on "Energy," prompting Kelis to unleash on Bey.

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"My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding,” she wrote on social media. “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.”


The thing is Kelis doesn't have the copyrights to the record, nor songwriting credits. Beyoncé didn't necessarily need to go through Kelis to get the sample cleared but it may have been an act of courtesy if she did.

It seems like Bey caught wind of Kelis outrage and took the necessary steps to make things right. Per Hip Hop N More, Beyoncé removed the interpolation of "Milkshake" from her single "Energy" on TIDAL. Chances are Spotify and Apple Music will follow suit shortly.

Beyoncé already faced backlash after using an ableist slur on the song "Heated," co-written by Drake. She recently removed the slur from her song in response to the criticism. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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