Beyoncé is set to receive the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, just days after the release of her act ii: Cowboy Carter album.
iHeartMedia and FOX Entertainment announced on Thursday (March 21) that Beyoncé will be honored with the special merit.
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“And the @iHeartRadio Innovator Award goes to… @beyonce!,” read the caption to the announcement on iHeartMedia’s official Instagram page. “Few artists have taken creative risks, successfully transformed their music, and influenced pop culture on the level that Beyoncé has.”
“And her @beygood Foundation has helped communities around the world on a wide range of issues from housing scarcity to career development. We’re thrilled to honor Beyoncé at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards.”
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The show – which will be hosted by Ludacris – is set for April 1 at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, which means attendees will have had a few days to digest the highly anticipated Cowboy Carter before Bey accepts her award.
Check out iHeartMedia’s announcement below.
Not everyone thinks Beyoncé is the innovator that iHeartMedia claims her to be, though.
Earlier this week, Erykah Badu suggested that Beyoncé imitated her style on the alternate album cover for her upcoming album.
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Beyoncé released the limited edition artwork for her upcoming Country-inspired album, which features her naked except for a sash that reads “act ii BEYINCÉ”. In the image, she also has her hair braided with beaded bang and is holding a lit cigar.
Badu seemed to have taken issue with Queen B’s hair in the image, which mirrored a style the “On & On” singer has rocked in the past.
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Upon catching wind of the cover, Badu shared it on her Instagram Stories along with the caption “Hmmm.”
She subsequently took to Twitter and wrote: “To JAY-Z. Say somethin Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me?? [grinning squinting face emoji].”
The “Green Eyes” crooner previously called Beyoncé out for biting her style in response to a metallic, wide-brimmed hat the latter wore on her Renaissance Tour last year.
She commented with the same “Hmmm” underneath a picture of Bey’s outfit on social media at the time. Badu then posted a picture of herself performing in a hat similar hat, adding: “I guess I’m everyone’s stylist. favorite chrome mirror hat.”
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Queen B’s publicist Yvette Noel-Schure quickly came to her defense and shared an Instagram Reel that featured a montage of her client sporting braided hairstyles throughout her career.
In the caption, she wrote: “She slays. She slays. Now. Then. Always. #criticswithoutcredentials.”
