Beyoncé doesn’t take accusations of stealing lightly. The Grammy Award-winning star shut down such claims this week after music duo Right Said Fred accused the entertainer of not asking for permission before sampling the group’s 1992 hit record “I’m too Sexy” for her single “Alien Superstar” from her highly successful seventh studio album, “Renaissance.”
While talking to the U.K. tabloid The Sun, the musical brothers told the outlet, “Normally the artist approaches us, but Beyoncé didn’t because she’s such an arrogant person.” However, the siblings’ comments appeared to take a stark turn from what they’d expressed on Twitter just days before the album, a point the “Cuff It” singer made sure to point out when she defended herself in a statement to Billboard.
“Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album,” the 28-time Grammy Award winner told the music publication this week. “For their song, there was no sound recording use, only the composition was utilized. Permission was asked of their publisher on May 11, 2022, and the publisher approved the use on June 15, 2022. They were paid for the usage in August 2022.”
She also noted that the brothers were given “co-writer credit” on the song from the album released in July, which they showed gratitude for in a Twitter post, writing, “It’s nice to get a writing credit on the new ‘Beyonce’ album. ‘Renaissance’ Credits: Drake, A.G. Cook, Syd, Right Said Fred, & More.”
However, while talking to The Sun, the two claimed they would not be taking any legal action because they were indeed compensated whether they agreed with the amount. “We can’t stop it. There is nothing we can do. It is s–t,” they told the U.K. tabloid.
Elsewhere they noted, “To use our melody, they need our permission so they send us the demo and we approve it and if so, we get a co-write credit. With this Beyoncé thing, there are 22 writers. It’s ridiculous, so we would get about 40 [pounds].” Critics quickly called out the duo’s greed.
“She used the composition from the song,” wrote one person. “Not lyrics, nothing, so technically you didn’t even write anything. But she asked for permission, gave you the credit, and paid you for it. So you’re upset because it wasn’t what you thought it was gonna be? Byeeee.”
“Clocked them with date receipts,” another person commented.
Singer Kelis picked a similar battle with Beyoncé shortly after the project was released over a song titled “Energy” that features production from Kelis’ 2000 hit “Milkshake.” Fans argued that Kelis misdirected her anger toward Beyoncé when it should have been toward Williams and Hugo, who own the singer’s masters. Beyoncé ultimately removed the sampling and any credit Kelis did receive.
