Beyoncé may have already swapped her sparkly stilettos for cowboy boots and moseyed on over to her ‘Cowboy Carter’ era, but some folks just can’t let go of her previous jam-packed jukebox, ‘Renaissance.’
Among these persistent fans are not only die-hard admirers but also a small band from New Orleans who claim Queen Bey has been a bit too inspired by their tunes. The group, known as Da Showstoppaz, insists that Beyoncé’s chart-topping banger ‘Break My Soul’ is guilty of a musical felony by lifting their lyrics without a hall pass.
Let’s saddle up and ride into the details, shall we?
In a drama fit for daytime TV, Da Showstoppaz filed a complaint in a Louisiana federal court on Wednesday (May 22). They allege that Bey borrowed a piece of their 2002 track ‘Release a Wiggle’ for her hit ‘Break.’ But wait, there’s a plot twist! Instead of swiping it directly, they claim she legally sampled Big Freedia’s 2014 jam ‘Explode,’ which apparently wiggles a lot like theirs.
“While Mrs. Carter … and her crew are swimming in accolades and profits … Da Showstoppaz are left high and dry—no shoutouts, no credits, not a single dime,” their lawyer declared. “The infringing phrase ‘release yo’ wiggle’ and a few other copycat phrases dance all over ‘Explode’s two-minute and forty-seven second runtime. Any reasonable ear would think ‘Release A Wiggle’ and ‘Explode’ are practically musical twins.”
Big Freedia, who also sprinkled some magic on ‘Break,’ is now a co-defendant in this spicy lawsuit. The plaintiffs say they gave Bey’s squad a heads-up about the lyrical larceny last month, but apparently, the message must have gotten lost in Beyoncé’s beehive.
Fans of ‘Break’ know that its main musical ingredient is Robin S.’s 1993 house hit ‘Show Me Love,’ and Robin S. got her well-deserved credit.
Da Showstoppaz aren’t the first to claim a piece of the Renaissance pie. They join the illustrious company of Kelis and Right Said Fred, who have also publicly aired their grievances over alleged unauthorized samples or interpolations of their work in Beyoncé’s recent musical masterpiece.
Who knew ‘Renaissance’ would spark such a royal rumble? Stay tuned for more episodes of “As the Bey Turns.”