Kelis Says Beyoncé Has "No Soul" After Using Sample Without Permission

Kelis says Beyoncé did not inform her about sampling her 1999 single, "Get Along With You" on "Energy."

BYAron A.
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Beyoncé is just hours away from officially releasing her forthcoming project, Renaissance, though it did leak a few days in advance. As more information on the project circulates, Bey revealed some of the samples she used on the project, including Kellis's 1999 hit record, "Get Along With You." Unfortunately, it seems like Beyoncé didn't get Kelis's approval before using the sample.

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Kelis' fan page celebrated the singer's inclusion on Beyoncé's album but in the comment section, the "Milkshake" singer appeared to express her frustrations from her chef account. Kelis claimed that Beyoncé and The Neptunes, who produced the song, did not involve her in any discussion surrounding the use of the sample.

"My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 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," she wrote.

Fans were stunned by her claims but Kelis has made her issues with the music industry quite clear. In 2020, she revealed that Pharrell and Chad Hugo never paid her the albums they produced for her. Prior to that, she expressed shock over her rare album Wanderland appearing on streaming services.

Check out her comments below. 



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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.