Beyonce’s rep shuts down Erykah Badu’s plagiarism claims

Beyoncé was recently accused by singer Erykah Badu for copying her style for the cover art of her upcoming album, Cowboy Carter.

The cover art featured Queen Bey in the nude, with nothing but a sash that read “Act II Beyincé” draped across her chest and hips.

But it was her hairstyle that seemingly caught Badu’s attention – braids with red and white beads adorning her bangs.

Re-sharing the cover-art to her own Stories, Badu wrote, “Hmmm,” apparently alluding to her own affinity for beaded bangs and long braids.

Amid backlash, she then took to X (formerly Twitter) to ask Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z for help, writing, “To Jay Z. Say something Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me?? [laughing emoji]” she wrote in a Twitter post.”

But before Jay-Z could say anything, the 32-time Grammy winner’s PR was already on it, with her longtime publicist and friend Yvette Schure jumping to her defense.

Taking to her Instagram, Schure shared a reel of Queen Bey sporting the hairstyle throughout the years.

“She slays. She slays. Now. Then. Always. #criticswithoutcredentials,” she wrote alongside the post, much to the BeyHive’s delight.

“Yvette might not always be there when we call… but she’s always on TIME!” commented one fan, while another threw shade at Badu, writing, “and that’s on ‘hmmmm.’”