Beyoncé admitting and laughing about taking ideas from other artists? And now people are going after Erykah Badu for calling her out? In case you missed it, Erykah Badu sparked controversy with a post that had fans wondering if she was shading Beyoncé for copying her style. Or was she also hinting that Beyoncé has a habit of borrowing from other artists and needs to be stopped?
So, here’s what happened: Erykah Badu posted a photo of Beyoncé performing at her show in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Beyoncé was wearing this dramatic top hat, and Erykah captioned the photo with just “Hmm.” Then, Erykah shared a picture of herself in a similar hat, saying, “I guess I’m everyone’s stylist. Favorite chrome mirror hat.”
Now, it’s true that Erykah has always rocked some over-the-top hats. Whether she’s on stage or hitting the red carpet, she’s known for wearing these amazing, towering fascinators. But does that mean Beyoncé was copying her style by wearing a similar hat?
A bunch of folks chimed in on Erykah’s post, basically saying, “Hey, Auntie, we adore you, but you might be stretching it a bit. Beyoncé’s been rocking those hats for ages, and this time it was probably just a metallic touch to match the Renaissance theme.” Some also mentioned that Erykah might need a reminder that artists like Beyoncé have a whole team of stylists behind their looks, so when things look alike, it’s not necessarily the artist’s doing. And plenty of people didn’t see any harm even if Beyoncé did draw inspiration from Erykah. One person even said, “So what if she did? Isn’t that a compliment? They’re both repping the same state, and Erykah got a nod in one of Beyoncé’s remixes, so clearly, there’s mutual respect. No biggie either way.”
People were quick to call out Erykah for seemingly throwing shade at Beyoncé, despite Beyoncé consistently showing her admiration for Erykah’s talent. But there’s more to this story than meets the eye. Erykah’s comments weren’t just out of the blue; they were triggered by Beyoncé posting photos on Instagram sporting a similar hat. When Erykah responded with a seemingly innocuous “I’m flattered,” it raised eyebrows, with many sensing an underlying tone. Then Erykah doubled down, sharing Instagram stories and reels professing her love for the chrome hat, which led many to believe she felt Beyoncé was copying her style.
It’s entirely possible that Beyoncé intentionally wore the hat to emulate Erykah. After all, Beyoncé has faced accusations of artistic imitation before, extending beyond just fashion to encompass music, choreography, concepts, photo shoots, and various creative elements. Let’s explore a few examples to shed light on this pattern.
You know how they say Amerie was like the OG Beyoncé? Yeah, it’s kind of wild to think about. But seriously, just watch the “Crazy in Love” video and then check out Amerie. It’s like Beyoncé straight-up jacked that go-go sound from Amerie after Rich Harrison, who was working with Amerie, started working with Beyoncé. And you can tell because Bey’s first solo single, “Work It Out,” had a totally different vibe and it totally tanked. Yeah, that debut was rough.
And let’s rewind to 2003. Jennifer Armour sends her track “Got a Little Bit of Love for You” to Beyoncé’s label, Columbia Records. Fast forward a bit, what’s playing on the radio? “Baby Boy.” And guess what? It’s got some serious similarities. Jennifer even tried to take it to court, but she couldn’t prove Beyoncé heard her song before dropping “Baby Boy.” Tough luck, right?
Did you catch the incredible choreography in Beyoncé’s Formation World Tour? Well, there’s a bit of drama behind it. It’s been said that Beyoncé may have taken some moves from a struggling dance troupe without giving them credit. Choreographer Marlyn Ortiz was the one who called her out, claiming that Beyoncé borrowed moves from her troupe’s show, De La Guarda, without any acknowledgment. Ortiz even took to Instagram to express her frustration, emphasizing how important it is for artists to receive recognition, especially when they’re trying to make ends meet.
But that’s not the only time Beyoncé’s choreography has stirred up controversy. The iconic moves in “Single Ladies” were actually choreographed by the legendary Bob Fosse for his wife, Gwen Verdon. When people noticed the similarities between the two performances, it caused quite a stir. When Beyoncé was asked about it during an appearance on 106 & Park, she did admit that the inspiration came from Bob Fosse, but she also acknowledged that the credit had been wrongly attributed to her.
Beyoncé made claims of writing “Smash into You,” but it’s essentially a cover of Jon McLaughlin’s “Smack into You,” with just one word altered. Despite this, she insisted on receiving writing credit.
But hold on, there’s more to the story. The hit song “If I Were a Boy” was actually penned by BC Jean, who drew inspiration from a breakup. Initially, BC Jean intended it to be her own lead single, but Beyoncé’s team caught wind of it and decided to have her record her own version instead. Additionally, Beyoncé’s “Countdown” music video seemed to borrow heavily from Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, with fans creating side-by-side comparison videos showcasing the striking similarities. After facing significant backlash, Beyoncé later claimed the video was intended as a homage.
Additionally, Beyoncé covered Des’ree’s song “Kissing You” for her album B’Day, renaming it “Still in Love (Kissing You)” and crediting herself as a writer. Despite efforts to secure rights to the song, a deal fell through. Undeterred, Beyoncé went ahead and re-recorded the track, even filming a music video for it. Consequently, Des’ree took legal action, suing for $150,000 in damages and seeking to halt the song’s distribution.
Even back in her Destiny’s Child days, Beyoncé and her team faced allegations of plagiarism. Producer Terrence “T-Robb” Robinson filed a hefty $200 million lawsuit against Destiny’s Child, claiming they stole his song “Glorious,” which he produced in 2000. According to Robinson, he had shown the song to Beyoncé’s father and then-manager, Mathew Knowles, hoping it would help launch his career. However, Mathew allegedly vanished with the song, and several months later, “Survivor” hit the airwaves.
The accusations against Beyoncé just keep piling up. There are claims that she’s been less than truthful about her involvement in crafting some of her biggest hits, like “Crazy in Love” and “Irreplaceable.” Then there’s the allegation that she took credit for the Stevie Nicks sample in “Bootylicious,” supposedly cribbing it from an Italian pop star’s performance. And let’s not forget the accusations of borrowing concepts from Madonna, which sparked quite the debate on Twitter. And as if that’s not enough, there’s this clip where Beyoncé talks about the inspiration behind “Bow Down,” claiming it came from a sudden surge of anger and defiance. It’s all pretty eyebrow-raising, to say the least.
So, it turns out that “Bow Down” was actually penned with Rihanna in mind, not Beyoncé. The talented songwriting duo, Rock City, responsible for crafting some of Rihanna’s biggest hits like “Man Down,” “We Can’t Stop,” and “Replay,” spilled the beans on a podcast, revealing that they whipped up the song in a mere nine minutes, envisioning it as a Rihanna track. Interestingly, in a recent Vogue photo shoot, Beyoncé flaunted eye-catching chrome acrylic nails adorned with needle-like embellishments. However, it was later discovered that the original creator of this unique nail design was Victoria Shen, who didn’t receive proper credit or compensation until public outcry ensued.
Now, Erykah Badu chiming in about Beyoncé allegedly imitating her style isn’t exactly groundbreaking news. But the question remains: Is Badu stretching the truth with her latest claims, or does Beyoncé have a history of drawing inspiration from other artists without giving credit where it’s due? I’d love to hear your take on this in the comments section below. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
