Beyoncé Removes Kelis ‘Milkshake’ Sample Following Theft Allegations

Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance has undergone yet another change. Following theft allegations from Kelis about an interpolation of her hit “Milkshake” on the song “Energy,” the sampled interpolation has been removed from the song on Apple Music, Tidal, Spotify and YouTube. Representatives for Beyoncé did not address the removal, with multiple outlets having reached out to Queen Bey’s camp.

The change to the song comes just a few days after Kelis slammed the song, accusing Beyoncé of theft. The credited writers and producers of “Milkshake” are the Neptunes, aka Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, and only they were included as credited writers on “Energy.” Kelis, meanwhile, was not contacted about use of the sampled interpolation, and she made her dislike of that fact clear when she called out The Neptunes for failing to get her permission to sample “Milkshake” on “Energy.” After a fan account shared that the song would contain a sample of “Milkshake,” the Grammy nominee left a comment from her verified account, writing, “It’s not a collab it’s theft.” She added that her “mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding,” revealing that she “heard about this the same way everyone else did.”

Kelis later further addressed the issue in a series of videos posted to her official Instagram account, in which she stated, “my real beef, is not only with Beyoncé, because at the end of the day, she sampled a record, she’s copied me before, so have many other artists, it’s fine, I don’t care about that.” She explained that while she had no problem with the actual sample, her issue was “that not only are we Black female artists in an industry where there’s not many of us,” pointing out that the two have “met each other, we know each other, we have mutual friends.”

“I also know the lies that were told. I also know the things that were stolen. Publishing was stolen, people were swindled out of rights. It happens all the time, especially back then. So, it’s not about me being mad about Beyoncé,” she continued, adding, “Pharrell knows better. This is a direct hit at me,” before going on to call the situation “stupid and disrespectful.” In a second video, Kelis said, “I’m saying it today. I’m coming for what’s mine and I want reparations. Peace.”

This marks the second change to Renaissance lyrics and follows confirmation from Beyoncé’s reps that lyrics in the song “Heated,” which include the word “spaz,” would be changed amid controversy surrounding the term. Meanwhile, Monica Lewinsky suggested on Twitter that the musician should revisit her 2013 song “Partition,” which references the affair between Lewinsky and former President Bill Clinton.