TMZ Hip Hop has reported on a feud between Erykah Badu and the BeyHive. Their March 20th post was captioned: “Erykah Badu Asks Jay-Z to Fend Off Beyhive After Shady Beyoncé Post.”
TMZ also asked a question that Erykah might have posed to Jay-Z face to face: “You Gonna Let Beyoncé Steal My Look???” TMZ Hip Hop’s report came on Wednesday after Beyoncé released an alternate cover for her new country album on CD and vinyl called Act II: Cowboy Carter.
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Allegedly, Erykah is “all fired up” about the substitute cover art. TMZ claimed that Erykah thinks Bey is full-on imitating her look, and they wrote, “She’s not flattered!”
Specifically, Erykah is unhappy with Beyoncé “copying her signature beaded bob hairdo.” Allegedly, Beyoncé stole the look “without so much as a thank you.” Erykah reposted an image of Bey on Instagram with a “Hmmm” caption that TMZ called “mockingly curious.”
Beyoncé Fans Quickly Came to Her Defense
Entertainment Weekly (via MSN) described the alternate cover art as an image of Beyoncé unclothed except for a red, white, and blue sash bearing her “family name.” Erykah only took offense to Bey’s braided hairstyle fashioned with “colorful beads,” and EW figured Erykah thought that was “a bit too similar to a look she’s sported in the not-so-distant past.”
EW reported that Erykah posts “dozens of other Stories” on Instagram, including a “surprising” reel of a dog in “shiny cowboy boots.” But as EW printed, the “BeyHive… can and will sniff out any negative Beyoncé commentary, then hunt it down to the ends of the Internet.”
After Erykah’s complaint of “style jacking” backfired with the BeyHive on Instagram, Erykah jumped ship and ran over to X to complain to Jay-Z.
Erykah tweeted “To Jay Z. Say somethin’ Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me??” But it’s also interesting that Erykah included a laughter emoji in her pleading post to the HOV himself.
EW published their article around 10:30 p.m. on March 20th. They claimed that “Jay Z has yet to weigh in.” However, a Beyoncé insider immediately came to Bey’s defense on Instagram, and this insider posted a shady response to Erykah.
The insider is Bey’s “longtime publicist, Yvette Schure.” Yvette’s post included a slideshow of images of a braided and beautiful Queen Bey over the years.
Yvette captioned her post, “She slays. She Slays. Now. Then. Always,” and shockingly, Yvette included the hashtag, ‘critics without credentials,’ like she was pointing right at Erykah.
Badu Has Previously Criticized Beyoncé
Whether or not Erykah is just raising a stink for fun—like her laughter emoji on X suggests—or she’s genuinely peeved with Beyoncé, EW confirmed that “this isn’t the first time Badu has come for Beyoncé.”
EW described an incident “last summer” when Erykah once again blasted Beyoncé for seemingly copycatting “her style.” Erykah accused Queen Bey of “jacking her big shiny hat game.” EW said that Erykah posted a “similarly shady IG Story” in which she remarked, “I guess I’m everybody stylist.”
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If Bey fans are wondering why Jay hasn’t rushed to her defense, EW alleged that Jay-Z might still be reeling from the BeyHive’s temporary takedown following that infamous, alleged Lemonade scandal. Still, Queen Bey can take care of herself, and she recently opened up to Essence about an “act of rebellion” and a shocking change to her appearance.
Beyoncé was talking to Essence about her new haircare brand, Cécred when she mentioned the “very short haircut” she debuted in 2013. She described how her hairstylist Neal Farinah was “freaking out” when she grabbed his scissors and started to chop off her own hair.
Beyoncé said, “It was very intentional. And it was what I needed to do.”
She claimed that after that shocking, rebellious moment, she became “super brave.” Beyoncé added, “It was the first step to many more audacious decisions I made in my life and my career that have led to who I am now.”
