Beyoncé’s publicist Yvette Noel-Schure shut down accusations of the superstar biting Erykah Badu’s style on the Cowboy Carter album cover. Noel-Schure posted multiple examples of Beyoncé sporting braided hair in response to Badu, who suggested her look was copied for the cover.
“She slays,” Noel-Schure wrote on Instagram. “She slays. Now. Then. Always. act ii COWBOY CARTER 3.29 #criticswithoutcredentials.”
Badu reacted to Beyoncé’s cover with a simple “Hmmm” on Instagram Stories, but the Beyhive did not take the comment lightly. Beyoncé’s diehard fans went on the attack as Badu asked for Jay-Z’s help.
“To Jay Z,” Badu wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Say somethin Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me??”
Beyoncé unveiled her Cowboy Carter album cover on Tuesday (March 19). She also revealed the inspiration for the project.
“This album has been over five years in the making,” she wrote. “It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
She continued, “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
Cowboy Carter is scheduled to drop on March 29. Beyoncé promised “a few surprises” on her follow-up to 2022’s Renaissance album.
