Source: Jeffrey Mayer / Getty
The esteemed publicist for Beyoncé fired back at Erykah Badu recently over claims the superstar copied a style of hers for the Cowboy Carter release.
There might be a slight bit of beef down in the heart of Texas as Erykah Badu feels that the latest artwork release by Beyoncé for her upcoming album, Act II: Cowboy Carter, took from her own style. It began as Beyoncé shared artwork for the limited edition version of her release. The photograph shows the singer in the nude, standing tall while draped in a banner emblazoned with “Act II Beyoncé” (an homage to her mother Tina Knowles’ maiden name) with a lit cigar while wearing a hairstyle of long braids.
The image didn’t sit well with Erykah Badu, who posted the image on her Instagram Stories with a simple caption of “Hmmm.” The “Window Seat” artist added a little bit more shade with another post on the social media platform, which featured a photo of her rocking a braided hairstyle with white translucent beads which she pinned to the top of her grid. The 53-year-old artist flaunted the hairstyle last month during her birthday concert in Dallas.
The message wasn’t lost on the legion of Beyoncé fans known as the BeyHive, and they promptly let her know in the comments of the post. “No disrespect Beyoncé not trying to copy you, and on top of that, it’s a damn hairstyle that has been around in the Black community for a while!!” one user wrote. Yvette Noel-Schure – who’s worked extensively with Beyoncé for 20 years – laid down the definitive word with her own social media post, a montage reel of the superstar’s looks from her rise with Destiny’s Child to now, including her Lemonade album cover where she also famously wore braids. “She slays. She slays. Now. Then. Always.” Noel-Schure captioned the post.
The reaction did prompt a somewhat comical response from Erykah Badu, this time in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “To Jay Z . Say somethin’, Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me ??” she wrote. There hasn’t been any response yet by Jay-Z or Beyoncé. Act II: Cowboy Carter will be released March 29.