Beyoncé Removes Kelis Sample From “Energy,” Monica Lewinsky Requests Next Change
Beyoncé has reportedly removed both Kelis samples from her new song “Energy,” which appears on the just-released Renaissance. “Energy” originally featured samples from Kelis’ 1999 track “Get Along With You” and 2003’s “Milkshake.” Immediately prior to the release of Renaissance, Kelis made it clear that she did not grant permission for the use of either sample, calling out the Neptunes producers Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, who co-wrote “Energy” and wrote and produced both Kelis songs.
“My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding,” Kelis said on Instagram. Later, she added in a video: “Chad really is like an amoeba, he’s spineless. It’s a miracle he can keep his neck up, but Pharrell knows better. 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, it appears that both samples are currently being removed across streaming platforms, with varying degrees of success.
This comes one day after Beyoncé agreed to change the lyrics in “Heated,” which met with backlash for using an ableist slur. A representative for Beyoncé confirmed yesterday that the lyric would be removed from “Heated,” writing: “The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced.”
Meanwhile, Monica Lewinsky also caught wind of the abelist lyric change and tweeted a request for Beyoncé to consider adjusting a lyric in her 2013 song “Partition,” which contains the words “He Monica Lewinsky-ed all on my gown.” When asked if she’d ever reached out to Beyoncé’s team before about “Partition,” Lewinsky replied, “no, i haven’t. i did mention it in the first vanity fair article i wrote in 2014… which was the first public thing i’d done in 10 years. but you make an interesting/fair point…”