Beyoncé Removes Kelis' "Milkshake" Interpolation From “Energy”

Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance no longer includes an interpolation of Kelis’ track “Milkshake” after she complained about Bey not calling to discuss the inclusion in advance.

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When it was first released, Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance included an interpolation of Kelis’ beloved track “Milkshake.” In response to “Energy” using her song, Kelis went online to inform fans that she was not informed by Bey or her team that her music was going to be utilized on the new album, causing somewhat of a controversy.

Kelis dubbed it “theft” and said that it was “stupid and disrespectful” that Bey didn’t “have the common decency” to notifiy her about the record.

Now, according to reports from Rolling Stone, the “Milkshake” interpolation was quietly removed from “Energy”–all without the Renaissance artist ever commenting on Kelis’ disgruntled response.

The original version of “Energy” featured Beyoncé singing a variation of the “La-la, la-la, la” Kelis famously sang on “Milkshake.” Now, that snippet is absent from the song. While many fans recognized the reference, Kelis was not credited as a writer on “Energy” because she is not officially a writer or producer of “Milkshake.”

Kelis’ frequent collaborators, The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) are officially the composers and lyricists of “Milkshake,” both of whom are listed as co-writers of the original “Energy.” While some fans felt Kelis’ pain in not being credited for her work, others pointed out that Beyoncé likely isn’t where she should direct her energy given that she’s not responsible for the original track’s writing credits.

Regardless, the “Milkshake” interpolation has been removed and Beyoncé is keeping things quiet, for now. As for Kelis, she said she’s satisfied now.

Check out the hive’s hilarious reaction to Beyoncé’s under-the-radar ejection below: