Beyoncé album art, "Act II: Cowboy Carter"
Here’s a beef no one saw coming: Neo-soul icon Erykah Badu versus pop-turned-country superstar Beyoncé.
It all started with the unveiling of Beyoncé’s latest album cover for her upcoming release, “Act II: Cowboy Carter.” The cover features Beyoncé clad in nothing but a sash adorned with the family name “Beyincé,” sporting long beaded braids and holding a cigar. While many fans celebrated the striking image, Badu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Badu reposted the album cover with a simple caption: “Hmmm.” It was a subtle but unmistakable expression of doubt or disapproval, and it didn’t go unnoticed by the ever-vigilant BeyHive, Beyoncé’s fiercely loyal fanbase. Some feel she thinks Bey stole her braided hairstyle, to which Beyoncé publicist, Yvette Shure, shot back with a video montage of Beyoncé sporting braids over the years. And the hashtag #CriticsWithoutCredentials started trending.
Before long, Badu found herself at the center of a social media storm, with Beyoncé’s fans swarming to defend their queen against any perceived criticism. But Badu didn’t back down. In a tweet addressed to Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z, she pleaded for his intervention, seemingly overwhelmed by the onslaught of criticism from the BeyHive, Entertainment Weekly reported.
“To Jay Z. Say somethin Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me??” Badu tweeted, accompanied by a laughing emoji, Complex reported.
This isn’t the first time Badu has found herself at odds with Beyoncé and her fans. In the past, she has accused Beyoncé of appropriating her style, particularly her penchant for bold fashion choices like oversized hats. These previous comments may have contributed to the heightened sensitivity surrounding her latest critique of Beyoncé’s album cover.
Meanwhile, others were less concerned about the braids than about the use of the American flag in another promo photo for the album. In this one, the singer is atop a white horse and she does not have braids but a flowing pale blond wig. She’s wearing a cowboy hat, and in one hand is holding the American flag. Some took it as Beyoncé claiming her right to the flag as the ancestor of slaves who built the country; others said that Blacks should reject the flag considering the continued bad–and violent– treatment of Black people in America.
Still some said the pop singer had no claim to the American flag, to which Black America came for these critics.
Tweeter C posted, “One thing we’ve learned from the discourse surrounding Beyoncé’s new cover art (& singles) is, most of y’all have no idea what Black American culture is. You read our history in a book, but lack the understanding of the nuances of who we are. This is Black American culture.”
American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) co-founder Yvette Carnell tweeted, “Sometimes I think people forget that the Civil War was fought over Slavery. The Confederacy flew the Confederate flag. The Union flew the American flag. Thankfully, the Union won. Does it make more sense now?”
Beyoncé album art, “Act II: Cowboy Carter”
