Beyoncé is calling bullshit on Right Said Fred's sampling claim.
In a recent interview with The Sun, the British duo claimed Beyoncé sampled their 1991 smash hit "I'm Too Sexy" without their permission on her new song "ALIEN SUPERSTAR," speculating that the alleged misstep was likely the result of her being "an arrogant person" with a "‘come and get me’" attitude.
"So we heard about it after the fact when you did," brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass said, while saying both Drake and Taylor Swift reached out to them for approval prior to the release of their respective songs. And while the pair went on to acknowledge that they were credited as co-writers, the Fairbrasses believed they wouldn't be compensated fairly for their contribution to Renaissance, as there are 22 writers on "ALIEN SUPERSTAR."
That said, Beyoncé is now disputing Right Said Fred's claims in a rare rebuttal statement issued to Pitchfork, saying their comments were "erroneous and incredibly disparaging" given that she followed proper protocol by receiving their permission to use the sample, despite Bey having the receipts.
As Beyoncé pointed out, "ALIEN SUPERSTAR" doesn't directly sample "I'm Too Sexy," as "only the composition was utilized" when she re-recorded the track for her record. And because the song doesn't feature any part of the original sound recording, she technically needed permission from the songwriting publisher, which she asked for on May 11, 2022 and was granted on June 15, 2022. She went on to say that payment was later issued in August and clarified that the Fairbrasses own a large copyright percentage of "ALIEN SUPERSTAR" due to "I'm Too Sexy" being a "substantial portion of the composition."
Not only that, but Beyoncé also noted that Right Said Fred "publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album" following Renaissance's release in an excited Instagram post captioned, “Writing credits with Taylor Swift, Drake and now Beyoncé, not bad for 2 blokes that haven’t been play-listed in the UK for over 25 years.”
Granted, this isn't the first time Renaissance has been accused of sampling an artist without their knowledge, as Kelis also said she didn't know that Beyoncé was interpolating her 2003 chart-topper "Milkshake" in "ENERGY," which Bey later reissued without the sample-in-question.
Read Beyoncé's entire statement on Right Said Fred's claims here.
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