Quentin Miller's infamous reference tracks for Drake and PartyNextDoor's slightly less infamous reference track for Rihanna have offered fascinating insight into the relationship between songwriters and the stars who bring their songs into the public sphere. Another reference track has surfaced, on Diplo's Snapchat: Ezra Koenig's demo for Beyonce's "Hold Up." (Diplo co-produced the song.)
For those of you who only watched the Lemonade film, "Hold Up" is the one where Beyonce canary yellow dress and lets unsuspecting fire hydrants and windshields feel the wrath of her "Hot Sauce" Louisville Slugger. It's possible that this snippet is from "an experimental alternate version [of 'Hold Up'] that didn’t go anywhere.” Shoutout to Team Vampire Weekend for the find. Watch it below.