After Kelis called her out for using her song “Milkshake” without permission, Beyoncé has removed the interpolation from Renaissance.
The Renaissance song “Energy” contains the interpolation of “Milkshake;” notably, Bey sings a spin on the song’s classic “la la, la la la” hook toward the end of the track. While Beyoncé credited Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, the official writers and producers of “Milkshake,” Kelis expressed frustration for not being contacted about the interpolation as a common courtesy.
Now, Rolling Stone reports that the interpolation has been removed from “Energy” as it appears on streaming services, including Apple Music and Tidal. It’s worth noting that the official credits on Beyoncé’s website still mention the interpolation, referring to “Milkshake” as “Written by Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and performed by Kelis.”
The famously enigmatic Beyoncé has suffered a series of rare blips with Renaissance. In Europe, the Lemonade follow-up was leaked two days early. Then, soon after the album’s official release, representatives for the singer announced that the word “spaz” would be removed from the song “Heated” after many pointed out that it’s often used as an ableist slur (Coincidentally, Lizzo came under fire for using the same word in her song “Grrrls” back in June, and she altered her lyrics as well).
Still, Queen Bey managed to snag two Songs of the Week with the project: “BREAK MY SOUL” and “ALIEN SUPERSTAR.”