Erykah Badu has once again called out Beyoncé for allegedly copying her style, this time sparked by Beyoncé’s exclusive vinyl cover for “Cowboy Carter.” Badu reposted the cover on her Instagram story with a simple “hm,” drawing attention to similarities in their hairstyles. Beyoncé’s cover features her with long beaded braids and a sash reading “act two be yince,” prompting fans to speculate that Badu was suggesting Beyoncé imitated her look.
The response was swift from Beyoncé’s fans, with one criticizing Badu for starting a one-sided beef, while another dismissed the notion that braids are unique to Badu, citing longstanding traditions within the black community. However, some defended Badu, arguing that she reintroduced the hairstyle and that Beyoncé’s portrayal resembled a recent Badu look.
The incident adds to ongoing tensions between the two artists, with supporters of both sides debating the origins and significance of cultural influences in music and fashion.
This isn’t the first instance where Erykah has criticized Beyoncé for emulating her style. Previously, Erykah shared a photo of Beyoncé performing at her tour in East Rutherford, New Jersey, highlighting B’s outfit with a dramatic top hat. Erykah then posted a picture of herself in a similar hat, captioning her photo with, “I guess I’m everyone’s stylist’s favorite chrome mirror hat.” When Beyoncé later posted photos on Instagram wearing the same hat, Erykah commented, “I’m flattered,” a remark that some interpreted as having negative undertones. Erykah also went on a rant on her page, emphasizing that the chrome hat is her favorite.
At the time, Beyoncé didn’t directly respond to the hat comment. However, during a concert shortly after, she modified the lyrics of “Break My Soul (The Queen’s Remix)” to specifically reference Badu by repeatedly singing “Badu, Badu, Badu” instead of the usual acknowledgment of Badu and Kelly Rowland. It’s unclear whether this alteration was meant as shade or as a sign of admiration towards Erykah.
When Erykah previously accused Beyoncé of copying her style, it sparked a range of reactions. Erykah’s supporters applauded her unique fashion sense, particularly her penchant for extravagant hats over the years, whether on stage or at events. However, the Beyhive swiftly came to Beyoncé’s defense, asserting that her hat choices were likely influenced by the Renaissance theme and orchestrated by her team of stylists. Some suggested that Erykah should appreciate being an inspiration to Beyoncé, given her legendary status. Criticism mounted against Erykah for shading Beyoncé, despite Beyoncé publicly acknowledging her as one of the greats.
Erykah’s recent Instagram post reignited similar sentiments, prompting a backlash from Beyoncé’s fans once again. In a curious turn, Erykah even tweeted a plea to Jay-Z, urging him to intervene against Beyoncé. This only fueled more criticism from the Beyhive. Beyoncé’s publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, responded by showcasing Beyoncé’s longstanding use of braided hairstyles throughout her career, effectively silencing detractors. The Instagram post, featuring a collage of Beyoncé’s braided looks from childhood to the present, subtly conveyed a message of resilience against negativity.
However, there are still individuals suggesting that Beyoncé might resort to stealing from Erykah, especially considering Beyoncé’s past boasting about taking from other artists. “Nobody’s going to want us to go to their show… fine, why? ‘Cause we going to take everything.” Yet, isn’t this behavior fairly common among artists? “No, everybody does.” “Yeah, you know, but it… but it…” but we go and meet everybody, say, “Hey, great show,” and then still “it” in. Erykah’s famous reaction, “H.” Anyway, as I mentioned, Beyoncé has more on her plate than just Erykah’s concerns, as Azealia recently called her out for essentially pandering to white audiences.
Baby Azealia already labeled Beyoncé a narcissist a few weeks ago when she announced her venture into country music. But that was nothing compared to her comments after Beyoncé posted about being the first black woman with a number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. Despite criticism in the comment section, nothing compared to Azealia’s call-out of Beyoncé for perpetuating the false idea that country music belongs solely to white artists. In a lengthy rant, Azealia wrote, “Sis, I live for white young Fon Donatella Bianca. Bow down, but I’m kind of ashamed at how you switch from Baobab trees in ‘Black Parade’ to this literal Pik me stuff.” There was so much pertinent cultural commentary here. I don’t understand why you have to adopt a white woman persona to make filigree country music. Azealia continued, “There could have been humor to it which would bestow upon you even a smidgen of personality to make you an interesting person again. But you’re reinforcing the false rhetoric that country music is a post-Civil War white art form and subsequently reinforcing the idea that there is no segregation, slavery, theft, massacres, plagues, Manifest Destiny craziness that formed the bedrock of epithets like ‘Proud to be an American’ or ‘God Bless the USA.'” Girl, Azealia also criticized Beyoncé for being obsessed with always being boring and pretty, and she desires Beyoncé to delve into deeper, more artistic themes that shift culture. In her rant, she also accused Beyoncé of leveraging her capitalist advantage to secure a number one spot with her country tracks and argued that other country artists had far superior music. According to her, “Like, in 2024, is being the first black woman to have a number one on the country charts an accomplishment when you’ve clearly used your capitalist advantage to smother out the currently existing black artists in country music who have been grinding for years but don’t have money to send fruit plates and backstage passes to Grammy voters? Sis, I’m sorry to rain on your parade, but there’s actually nothing monumental about it. Had you made a great country song, going number one should be the headline without the weird race part.”
Baby, just as I thought Azealia was finished, she brought up Beyoncé’s “16 carriages” reference from her album and criticized its relevance, suggesting Beyoncé couldn’t have been envisioning a pilgrim fantasy coming from 1980s Houston, Texas. Azealia also took shots at Jay-Z for his strategic approach and called out Beyoncé for what she perceived as self-pity over criticism of her new country album. Rihanna even got caught in the crossfire when Azealia challenged Beyoncé to collaborate with her, calling out Beyoncé’s acting skills and Jay-Z’s management style with Rihanna, Rita, and Meg.
The commentary was relentless, and there’s more where that came from. Whether Beyoncé and her team have seen it all or are preparing a response remains to be seen. Maybe they’ll respond with the same grace they showed Erykah, or maybe they won’t. We’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, share your thoughts on Erykah’s comments about style and whether Azealia’s words hold weight in the comments below.
