Kelis is accusing Pharrell Williams of stealing a sample of her 2003 single “Milkshake” for the new Beyoncé song “Energy” out of spite. Her relationship with the Neptunes producer soured in the early aughts after she says he “swindled” her out of her music. On Thursday night (July 28), the “Milkshake” rapper headed to Instagram to further explain why she’s so frustrated by the situation in two separate videos.
“This is really not about Beyoncé,” she said. “[…] I said what I said. So, still all facts. There’s a lot of hypocrisy and a lot of nonsense. So we’ve got Pharrell who did an interview I think last year talking about artists rights and how how people should be able to rework their deals and artists should be getting credit for what they’ve done and all this stuff.
“When in reality, when I was signed to him, I had the same manager that he had and he has writing credits on my records, all my singles, and he never wrote a song, a lyric a day in his life. And yeah, that’s a problem.”
Kelis also called out Beyoncé for seeming to sing about female empowerment while not supporting other women in real life.
“Then we have Beyoncé, who like I said, out of human decency and artistry and females — just all of the stuff she sings about, empowerment and stuff. I don’t talk about it, I am about it, OK? So the reality is all this female empowerment and stuff, it only counts if you really do it, if you’re really living it and walking the walk.”
But she wasn’t done with Pharrell and brought up his 2013 Grammy Award-winning single “Happy.”
“I’d be happy too if I was stealing folks publishing and rights to songs and all kinds of stuff,” she continued. “I actually wouldn’t be happy ‘cause it’s evil. But the point is, OK, there’s a lot of hypocrisy, and someone has to bring it up and talk about it, and it just so happens that I was thrown in this.”
Kelis added the situation might just be the “fuel” she needs to finally take action. She wrote in the caption, “I just heard the record everyone is saying has my sample. But it’s beyond this song at this point. This was a TRIGGER for me. Milkshake alone is one of the most licensed records of our generation.
“I am a creator. I’m an innovator, I have done more then left my mark on an era of music and style that will go down in history. But there are bully’s and secrets and gangsters in this industry that smile and get away with it until someone says enough is enough . So I’m saying it today. I’m coming for what’s mine and I want reparations.”
Kelis Accuses Beyoncé Of Stealing Sample Of Her Song For 'Renaissance' Album: 'It's Not A Collab, It's Theft'
Kelis made sure to insist she isn’t necessarily mad at Beyoncé, saying she’s “copied me before,” but just wished she or someone from her team would’ve reached out. She then referred to Neptunes co-founder Chad Hugo as a “spineless amoeba” and said she was “surprised he can keep his neck up.”
She expounded in the caption, “I said what I said , cause it’s the truth. You don’t have to like it or agree. Facts are facts. If you’re a sheep keep it movin’ this convo will be over your head. I didn’t ask for this but I’m not afraid of it either.”
Kelis opened up about her fallout with The Neptunes in 2020 while speaking to The Guardian. As she explained, “I thought it was a beautiful and pure, creative safe space, but it ended up not being that at all. I was told we were going to split the whole thing 33/33/33, which we didn’t do.”
She also claimed she was “blatantly lied to and tricked” by “The Neptunes and didn’t make any money off her first two albums — 1999’s Kaleidoscope and 2001’s Wanderland — which The Neptunes produced.
BOOHOO B!TCH
Go argue with your prissy pamper wearing granny.
ILL SLICE YOUR THROAT
Shut up Kelis.
Fuck you B, you expect her to keep quiet in the face of this evil. You fucking bastard B.
Kelis…. Is that you ? Don’t be mad, you had your time, 20 years ago. Be happy
Dont cry, dry your eyes.
What nas gotta say about this?
He’s gotta be a man and help her. That’s a disrespect to you as a man whether you with her or not.
Stand up for her.
You sound like a simp
You sound like a pimp. Pimps are effeminate men, dressing in fur coats and perming their hair, who perpetuate the abuse of girls. You’re probably one of those dead beat dads who neglected or sold his daughter(s).
Wtf is getting abused in this situation?
You sound like a pimp. Pimps are effeminate men, dressing in fur coats and perming their hair, who perpetuate the abuse of girls. You’re probably one of those dead beat dads who neglected or sold his daughter(s). This message is intended for the person called “Wash My Car” in case it gets posted to the wrong recipient again.
Go back and find out exactly what she did to Nas..FDB
Valid points. Get em!
Did they sample her voice or use her lyrics?
michael jackson has your back if he was still alive
This whole time I never knew Kelis was a rapper lol
Lmao, that’s the first thing I noticed
You ain’t get a coin, girl, you is gettin’ fucked then
Bey know who she paid, God, Neptunes Publishing
Use YOUR BRAIN!!!!
That’s HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!
Jesus Christ, this is the most toxic donkey in the industry along with Azelia Banks, crazy bitches that need to be heavily medicated
I WAS BIG ON EARLY STAR TRAK AND NEPTUNE STUFF, AND PHARELL HAS BEEN REUSING BEATS AND CHORUSES OF HIS OLD SONGS THAT DIDN’T POP FOR A LONG TIME. EVEN IF KELIS WROTE ALL HER SONGS, PHARELL AND CO DID WRITE THE MUSIC, WHICH IS A THING. LASTLY, TO PLAY DEVIL’S ADVOCATE, WHILE I DO BELIEVE KELIS WROTE HER LYRICS, I DO FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT PHARELL DIDN’T CONTRIBUTE TO ANY MELODIES TO THOSE 1ST 2 ALBUMS. THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING SETTLED IN COURT.
Your caps lock appears to be on.
YOUR COMMENT APPEARS TO PROVIDE NOTHING INSIGHTFUL.
You’re an idiot. Stop typing in all caps. Also, your grammar is still garbage even in all caps. Dummy.
A GUY NAMED DUMMY CALLING SOMEONE AN IDIOT. THE IRONY. TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE I GUESS LOL.
Stfu nicca..damn
LOL DIRTY ASS NICCA JUST POSTING TO TELL SOMEONE TO SHUT UP ONLINE. YOUR MOM MUSTVE HAD BOOZE IN HER TITS.
Cho goofy ass up nicca.. you probably black af and ugly than a bich
WOW, YOURE MUST BE INTO MEN SINCE YOU CLEARLY HAVE A TYPE. YOUR CRACKHEAD MOM SHOULD’VE SWALLOWED YOU.
Jay and Beyoncé have been jacking shot their whole career. They even stole the name Blue Ivy. Lol
Does she own the song and the publishing? SIMPLE ASS QUESTION.
Obviously not, which is why she’s crying about it. Same old song and dance. i was dumb while I was trying to be a star and didn’t take care of the business end, so it’s everybody else fault.
She’s mad because she wasn’t smart enough to set up her own publishing company
So why didn’t she take them to court already? If she’s got proof she should of got legal already.
She signed over her publishing to Star Trak/Interscope for a loan/advance. Can’t sue for something that you don’t own
That’s called the “Bad Boy Strategy”… meaning you don’t own shit, they own everything from the masters to the publishing. You’re screwed with no lube,lady. And like the Bad Boy Strategy, there is no reach around for the ladies cuz Bad Boy don’t get down like that lol.
Yeah, Bad Boy was the only record company trying to make money off their artists. #novaseline
You can tell she hates Beyonce. I would assume a lot more women in the industry dislike Beyonce and lie about it or front. Some of their reason might be legit though. Even though like I said I think she doesn’t like B, I still think she has a point. You shouldn’t use some ones work if your not willing to at least give them some credit, reach out to them or something. If I know a artist is not going to benefit from me using their work I wouldn’t use it, or if they have passed If I knew the family doesn’t financially benefit from it I wouldn’t use it.
She did reach out to who is on the copyright. What in the fuck is Beyonce supposed to know about what her and Pharell had going on? It’s like if you wanted a Time song, you had to hit Prince up. What in the fuck you going to call Morris Day or the Time for when they can’t clear shit?
She has a legitimate reason to complain. Does she sound bitter, yea she does. Should she have been better at making better business decisions upfront yea. But when you come into the business it’s a lot you won’t know. This is where people like Pharell come in they can either chose to show and help you learn the business or take advantage of you. If what she saying is true about Pharell taking credit and making money off of songs he didn’t write and makes him a weasel. You can be critical of her for not handling business or not understanding the business at the start of her career, but it still doesn’t change the fact that Pharell is a weasel.
Kelis is a known liar / exaggerator. Pharrell is known to have written an extremely large number of hits with a large number of artists. How could you possibly believe Kelis in this situation????
He believes her because he thinks she’ll read his comment and fuck him. Dude is sadly mistaken…
Maybe she is maybe she isn’t Idk, But I do know Pharell tried ripping off Marvin Gaye joint and had to pay the estate after
a court battle so we know that him taking work from others and putting off as his own is not far fetched for him. I just use logic. I don’t go off who I like the most or least. So it’s been proven that Pharell has actually done this before so why wouldn’t he do it again???
The difference is Pharrell doesn’t own Marvin Gaye’s music. He can definitely buy and sell Kelis’ ass if he wanted to…
Can’t believe people are defending this idiot. She doesn’t own the publishing in the first place, so nobodies stealing shit from her. Does she not know how the music industry works? She making herself look petty af.
Yeah. She’s pulling a De La Soul for sure.
Kelis seems like the chick who blames her farts on other people…
Kelis wrote barely anything early in her career. She just sung songs the Neptunes wrote. She has a few writing credits on her first two albums for songs she DID contribute to and will get paid if those songs are sampled. The Neptunes made her famous so she should be grateful to them.
Because they put it on their like duh this is her point
This bitch was the Nas Amber Heard. LOL. Slowly becoming Azelia Banks. She had 2 tracks that only exist because of Pharrell. Relax woman.
Song is dope. Kelis should chill. You can’t dig somebody publicly without calling them and then expect a call from that same person for using a song They Made and gave to you. When everything you touch dies, it can’t be everybody.
Alright!! Let’s put an end to all dis drama, I OWN da rights to da music so Beyonce and Kelis, ya’ll can just sit down in a dark corner with a joint and smoke da peace pipe!