When a pharmaceutical company is the voice of reason. Blech.

I still say Ezra Miller wasn’t acting in We Need to Talk About Kevin. How that movie didn’t forever typecast them as a villain is beyond me. 

I’ll have to listen to these remixes, as it’s probably the most underwhelming track on the album, to the point where I was a little worried when it was the lead single.

I’m a fan of Beyoncé and I agree, it’s just lazy writing. Or youthful ignorance.

Beyoncé has removed the interpolation — at least from streaming services; I imagine the physical albums may be worth more now — which, yes, she probably shouldn’t have used in the first place.

I think they’re saying that when the Democrats lose, they blame it on the left flank of the party, insisting they are scaring off moderate voters when, in fact, progressive policies are actually very popular.

Thank you!

I <3 your username.

If I’m kind of all over the place, it’s because I’m still piecing it all together myself (what happened in the first place, the media’s response to it, and my own evolving reaction to it).

Most of the articles I’ve read have extensively quoted Kelis while providing minimal context or analysis, which implies a lack of pushback to me. Maybe that says more about the sorry state of journalism than anything else — quoting is reporting and there isn’t a lot of time for a deep dive when you have to make sure…

I am not disagreeing that Kelis got fucked over by the Neptunes (though, again, I don’t know how much she added to Milkshake, specifically, vs. some of her other tracks). And as someone who calls herself a feminist, Beyoncé probably should have been more cognizant of using an interpolation of one of her songs.

Sigh. I’m not projecting and it’s not “a big deal” to me. I’m discussing the issue with you, a stranger on the internet, as a proxy for people who undervalue the work of someone like Beyoncé just because she  does nothing personal for you.

Kelis didn’t write the song. It wasn’t even originally intended for her (the Neptunes offered it to her). Beyoncé doesn’t sample her, she interpolates the original song (and not in a particularly obvious way IMO; it’s not one of those songs that lazily lifts the original hook and adds nothing). 

What is going on here?

I’m a fan of Kelis (probably more so than most of the people commenting on this post), and I don’t think she has a case here.

Fair enough, but you’re contradicting yourself here. You don’t like her, so that’s influencing your opinion of her, just as I do like her, so that’s influencing my opinion of her.

Please fix Kinja. I can’t even see one of my previous responses (but I know it posted because it’s listed under my discussions) nor the full response to it (as seen in my notifications). It cuts off in the thread no matter how many times I refresh the page. 

Also, if you listen to Energy, it’s hardly “ripping off” the former song. If I hadn’t known about the controversy, I might not have even recognized the sample right away. It’s not one of those instances in which the hook of a song is entirely built on a previous megahit.

Disagree. I think you’re holding her to a different standard than you would other artists. Sampling has been a staple of r ‘n b/hip hop/dance since forever and videos are often inspired by other works.

Rist herself didn’t accuse her. IIRC, she considered it an homage and appreciated it brought attention from a whole bunch of people who otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to her work.