The Beyhive Denies Erykah Badu’s Copycat Claims Against Beyoncé

Social media was a great old country showdown this week as Erykah Badu went head-to-head with the Beyhive in a virtual showdown. Ahead of the highly anticipated release of her country album “Renaissance, Act II: Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé gave a sneak peek on the album cover on Instagram.

As previously reported by theGrio, the star kicked off the 10-day countdown to the album’s release with a post Cover inspired by the USA wherein she rides a white horse, wearing a red, white and blue latex cowboy outfit and holding aloft an American flag. On Wednesday, she continued the countdown by sharing limited edition vinyl cover of “Cowboy Carter”. The exclusive cover shows a nude Beyoncé posing only with a red, white and blue sash and the words “Act II Beyincé” and holding a smoking cigar. While fans raved in regards to the outstanding inclusion of her mother, Tina Knowles’ maiden name, Beyincé, on the quilt, others focused on the “Renaissance” singer’s braided hairstyle. Her butt-length beaded braids and beaded bangs particularly caught the eye of singer Erykah Badu.

Mirroring a glance the “Bag Lady” singer-songwriter has previously worn, Badu reposted Beyoncé’s cover with the caption “hmmm” on her Instagram Story. The seemingly suspicious comment ignited the Beyhive, who quickly began defending Beyoncé on social media.

“Erykah Badu is a big hater. Beyoncé has been wearing braids for the reason that starting of her profession. Erykah doesn’t have braids. Since when has this hairstyle been within the Black community and you are feeling like someone is attempting to copy you? Sit down!!! If you are jealous, just say so.” one user he tweeted.

“Erykah Badu Puts Soulja Boy In The Mood By Thinking She’s Inventing Every Damn Thing” – one other shared on X

It’s price noting that this is not the primary time the “Tyrone” singer has made copycat claims against Beyoncé. During a world tour of the Renaissance Badu called out to the star for wearing the same large silver hat and writing on her Instagram: “Hmm… I guess I’m everyone’s stylist.”

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Some fans though twisted jokes about Badu’s one-sided conflict with Beyoncé, others had difficulty understanding the source of the issue.

“What’s Erykah’s problem with Beyoncé? She shouted it out in a song and Erykah (has been) under suspicion ever since. I’m very confused,” one user wrote on X (formerly generally known as Twitter).

Added one other: “Erykah Badu is always unnecessarily weird when it comes to Beyoncé. Especially since he’s from (Dallas) a city so close to Houston. You’d think she’d be rooting for her Texas sister. But it’s okay.”

However, considered one of the most important things fans noticed was that… Badu is not the primary black star to rock beaded and braided bangs. In addition to other singer-songwriters like SZA and Brandy who’ve also modified their hairstyles lately, fans emphasized musicians similar to “Stevie Wonder, Rick James, Patrice Rushen, Linda Greene of Peaches & Herb” who were known for wearing beaded braids long before Badu achieved fame, in addition to Venus and Serena Williams who brought the style to the Eurocentric world of tennis. Others emphasized similarly ancestral roots of braids in Black culture and throughout the diaspora.

“Someone needs to tell this lady (Erykah Badu) that the African continent would like to have a word.” wrote one user on Twitter.

While Badu called on Jay-Z to fend off the Beyhive on XBeyoncé’s publicist Yvette Noel-Schureclapped in response to Badu’s claims Instagram.

“She kills” – Noel-Schure with subtitles a video compilation of Beyoncé wearing braids for the last 20 years or more. “She kills. Now. Then. Always. act ii COWBOY CARTER 3.29 #criticswithout credentials.”

Whether the inspiration for the braids was Badu or Rick James, the weather of Beyoncé’s album cover, similar to her mother’s maiden name and the colour motif of the American flag, fit into the overarching theme of reclamation seen within the star’s latest designs.

“I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE… I hope this music will be an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start over and never end,” Beyoncé wrote Instagram. “It’s not a rustic album. This is the Beyoncé album.