A representative for Beyoncé is stepping in to shut down any misconceptions about the singer’s upcoming album.
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
On Tuesday, Bey revealed the cover art for her upcoming album, Cowboy Carter. The following day, she showed fans an alternate cover, which will only appear on the limited edition vinyl.
In the latter photo, the 32-time Grammy winner is wearing nothing but a sash draped across her chest, which reads, “Act II: Beyincé.” Her hair is braided, continuing the Americana theme by adding red and white beads at the ends of her bangs. Beyoncé stands in a pose that resembles the Statue of Liberty as she holds onto a marijuana cigarette and smoke envelopes her silhouette.
While the BeyHive was absolutely gagged over the photo, not everyone felt the same. Erykah Badu shared Beyoncé’s album art on her Instagram Stories and simply wrote, “Hmmm.” As reported by PEOPLE, her questioning of the photo likely had to do with Badu’s history of rocking braided hairstyles with beaded bangs.
After making her disapproval known on Instagram, Badu went to X to ask for some help from Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z.
“To Jay Z . Say somethin Jay,” she tweeted. “You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me ?? ð.”
It’s safe to assume Hov isn’t gonna run to social media to defend Badu over his wife, but someone else in Beyoncé’s camp had time for some receipts! The “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” singer’s longtime publicist, Yvette Schure, posted an Instagram Reel on Wednesday that showed Beyoncé wearing braided hairstyles over the years and proving she’s not new to this.
In her caption, she wrote: “She slays. She slays. Now. Then. Always. #criticswithoutcredentials.”
This isn’t the first time Badu has accused Beyoncé of copying her style. Just last year, Erykah insisted that the singer’s “Formation” hat was a duplicate of her signature look.
While on her Renaissance World Tour, Bey wore a lot of platinum–including a big, wide-brimmed hat in a stunning silver shade. When she posted photos with the hat onto Instagram, Badu hopped into the comments to write, “I’m flattered.”
That accusation didn’t go well for the “Tyrone” singer, who got absolutely cooked in her own comments section for coming at Beyoncé. And now that she’s doubling down, the BeyHive is only getting angrier.
