Beyoncé has removed the interpolation of the hit song 'Milkshake' from one of her new tracks after Kelis accused the s singer of 'theft'.
The 'Single Ladies' singer dropped her latest album, Renaissance, on 29 July, and while many fans were overjoyed with the arrival of new music, Kelis took to Instagram to air her grievances about one track in particular.
In Beyoncé's track 'Energy', she could originally be heard singing 'la-la, la-la, la' in a variation of the lyrics that Kelis sang in 'Milkshake'.
Kelis was made aware of the interpolation, which alters an existing sound rather than sampling it without any changes, at the same time as the rest of the world and criticised Beyoncé's team for not giving her a heads-up about the usage.
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She slammed the situation in comments posted on Instagram, writing: "My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all three parties involved is astounding.
"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.”
Responding to a comment that described the usage as a 'collab', Kelis wrote: “It’s not a collab it’s theft.”
The 'three parties' referred to by the singer include Kelis’ former producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, as well as Beyoncé.
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The former were credited on the track, but Kelis argued she still had a 'right to be frustrated'.
In a video posted to her own Instagram page, she explained: "My real beef is not only with Beyoncé because at the end of the day, she sampled a record... it's fine, I don't care about that... the issue is... we've met each other, we know each other, we have mutual friends, it's not hard, she can contact [me].
"It's just common decency, especially because... I know what I own and what I don't own... It's not about me being mad about Beyoncé... she's one issue because it was stupid and disrespectful and she should have at least reached out, but the real issue is the fact that the people, like Pharrell and like Chad.... Pharrell knows better, this is a direct hit at me."
In the wake of the backlash, 'Energy' appears to have been updated on streaming platforms to remove Beyoncé's series of 'la-las' heard in the original track.
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The singer does not appear to have publicly addressed the accusations made by Kelis.
UNILAD has reached out to representatives for Kelis and Beyoncé for further comment.
Emily Brown