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Beyoncé Removes Kelis Sample From New Song After Singer Calls Her Out

The sample on “Energy” was quietly removed—but social media users were quick to pick up the change.

After publicly shaming Beyoncé and labeling her a thief, Kelis looks like she’s getting her wish to disappear from Bey’s new album, Renaissance, for good.

Beyoncé appears to have removed a sample of Kelis’ 2003 hit “Milkshake” from her new song “Energy” after Kelis ripped the superstar to shreds last week for using her music without her permission.

On the original “Energy” track, Kelis’ famous lines from “Milkshake”—“La-la, la-la, la”—are heard toward the end of the song. You can hear the glimpse taken by TikToker @jarredjermaine here. In the new version, Beyoncé’s “la” is absent.

While the sample is brief, Kelis directed her fury at Beyoncé and Neptunes producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who wrote both “Milkshake” and “Get Along With You,” from Kelis’ debut 1999 album, which also was thought to appear on the album. The pair own the publishing rights to the songs.

“My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding,” Kelis fumed on Instagram. “This is a direct hit at me, he does this stuff all the time. It’s very petty—very, very, very—and the reality is that it’s frustrating.”

Now Tidal and Apple appear to have removed the sample of “Milkshake” that could be heard at the end of “Energy.” Neither Beyoncé, Kelis or Tidal—which saw a brief glitch playing only isolated vocals on the sample—responded to Rolling Stone for comment.

Last Friday, Kelis took to Instagram to tell her fans: “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.”

“It’s not a collab, it’s theft.”

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Matt YoungNight Editor

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