This happened to me. I didn’t cause it, and I didn’t do it. It just happened, and it can happen to anyone.
The feud between Rihanna and Beyoncé is deeper than we thought. According to several sources, Rihanna thinks Beyoncé is an untalented thief. There’s also been a rumor for ages that Beyoncé tried to sabotage Rihanna’s career because she was afraid Rihanna would surpass her. And let’s not forget the whole Jay-Z cheating on Beyoncé with Rihanna debate.
So, what really went down between them, and why can’t Rihanna stand Beyoncé? Let’s break it down.
“We hear that you’re a big fan of Beyoncé.”
“I love her.”
For some context, Rihanna did love Beyoncé at one point. But that love vanished when Beyoncé started coming after her unprovoked.
Rihanna was discovered and mentored by Jay-Z, which eventually led to her meeting Beyoncé. Rihanna once shared that Beyoncé wrote her a heartfelt letter.
“Yes, yes, she wrote me this cute little letter and signed it with her autograph. It was so cute. When I first met her, she wrote, telling me to let loose when performing, have fun, and be in control.”
However, their relationship began to strain as Rihanna gained mainstream success. The tabloids incessantly compared her to Beyoncé, which didn’t sit well with Beyoncé.
Things took a turn for the worse when Beyoncé released the diss track “Bow Down,” seemingly aimed at Rihanna. Many fans criticized Beyoncé for being hypocritical, as she had gone from promoting female empowerment to calling women derogatory names and demanding they bow down to her.
“Hearing ‘Bow down, b—’ repeatedly from someone who preaches women’s empowerment is unsettling. It feels contradictory and hard to accept. I’ve admired her for so long, and this just doesn’t seem like her. I love Beyoncé, but I think Jay-Z might be influencing her. You’re on a Pepsi can, for goodness’ sake, telling women to bow down while also saying ‘Girls run the world.’ Instead of acknowledging her mistake and apologizing to Rihanna, Beyoncé got defensive and refused to apologize.”
Beyoncé explained her side: “The reason I put out ‘Bow Down’ is because I woke up with a chant in my head. It was aggressive and angry, not the usual Beyoncé. I felt the need to defend myself. After finishing the song, I thought it was hot and decided to put it out. If people like it, great. If not, that’s okay too.”
Rihanna was furious and took to Twitter to throw shade at Beyoncé. She posted an article crowning her the queen of pop in the UK and captioned it, “I only know how to be number one. I could use a challenge. How’d I feel down there on your knees, huh?”
Things got even messier when Keyshia Cole and Brandy defended Rihanna and blasted Beyoncé for being bitter. Keyshia went on an explosive Twitter rant, saying, “First, women need to stick together. Now it’s better bow. Shakes my head. But it’s all G. Chicks stay shooting the ‘I didn’t.’ Kept it real from the start. #RespectThat. Can’t stand when people are self-righteous when it’s convenient and it makes them look good. LMAO. But can still talk when it’s convenient too. Out of here.”
Brandy also had her say, adding, “A Beyoncé fan, I am. Your Beyoncé fan. And she recently put out her new song, ‘Bow Down.’ People are talking about it. Opinion is opinion. I think art should be expressed the way it should. You love the song. Um, I don’t love the song. Uh, but I love Beyoncé. Have to be honest. You know.”
Many fans believed Beyoncé started resenting Rihanna after rumors began circulating that Jay-Z was involved with her. Rihanna’s publicist, however, claimed this was just a PR stunt to boost her popularity. He said, “The PR stunt that I did was out of desperation to help break ‘Pon de Replay.’ It was reckless, and I didn’t think it was gonna work. I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick.” Despite this, people remained skeptical, especially given Jay-Z’s rumored infidelities and the publicist’s admission that it was a PR move, possibly under pressure.
There were also rumors that Beyoncé forced Jay-Z to leak Rihanna’s album before its release to hurt her first-week sales. Rihanna’s “Anti” album was leaked on Tidal, a platform owned by Beyoncé and Jay-Z, forcing her to release it early. Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s album, “Lemonade,” which was about to be released at the same time, received all the promotional attention and sold 653,000 copies in its first week compared to “Anti’s” 124,000.
The feud escalated to the point where Rihanna and Beyoncé were caught avoiding each other at a Tidal press conference. A source told Naughty Gossip that they refused to stand next to or speak with each other, with the entire event carefully choreographed to keep them apart.
Rihanna later accused Beyoncé of stealing her photoshoot concept, calling her a thief and a liar. In 2018, Rihanna graced the cover of British Vogue’s September issue wearing an extravagant flower crown. The next month, Beyoncé appeared on the cover of American Vogue wearing a similar flower crown. Sources claimed Rihanna was angry but not surprised, given the ongoing silent competition between them and Beyoncé’s history of being accused of copying and stealing ideas from other artists, such as when Kelis accused her of sampling “Milkshake” without consent.
“From one artist to another, you should have the decency, common sense, and courtesy to call. It’s stupid and disrespectful. She should have at least reached out. I have the right to be frustrated because no one had the human decency to call and say, ‘Hey, we’d like to use your record.’ I’m a human being, so I get pissed off and ticked off, right?”
She also commented under a fan’s post, saying, “My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all three parties involved is astounding. I heard about this the same way everyone else did. Nothing is ever as it seems.”
Some people in this business have no soul or integrity and have everybody fooled. Instead of doing right by Kelis, Beyoncé scrapped Kelis’s vocals from the song to make her look crazy.
Erykah Badu also accused Beyoncé of stealing and copying from her. Erykah reposted a photo of Beyoncé rocking a chrome hat for her Renaissance Tour on IG with the caption, “She.” A few minutes later, she posted a side-by-side photo of herself wearing a chrome hat and Beyoncé wearing a similar one with the caption, “I guess I’m everybody’s stylist.” Erykah also commented under a post of Beyoncé wearing the hat, saying, “I’m flattered.”
Beyoncé has also been accused of stealing Amerie’s GoGo sound. Desiree sued Beyoncé for covering her song “Kissing You,” renaming it “Still in Love (Kissing You),” and giving herself a writing credit. In 2003, Jennifer Moore sent a demo of her song “Got a Little Bit of Love for You” to Beyoncé’s record label, Columbia Records. A few months later, she heard “Baby Boy” on the radio and thought it sounded awfully familiar. Jennifer Moore even filed a lawsuit but ultimately lost because she couldn’t prove to the judge that Beyoncé had physically heard her song first.
The drama between Rihanna and Beyoncé seems never-ending. This might explain why they haven’t collaborated, even though they move in the same social circles. Sources suggest their feud is why Jay-Z didn’t join Rihanna on stage for her Super Bowl halftime show performance of “Umbrella,” despite being in the audience with Blue Ivy. It’s reported that Jay-Z wanted to perform with her, but Rihanna declined. Public sentiment appears to side with Rihanna, as many took to social media to criticize Beyoncé. One user commented, “I’ve always liked Rihanna’s personality. She’s genuine. What you see is what you get with her. Beyoncé, on the other hand, seems fake and unrelatable, always playing an innocent character. Rihanna’s authenticity makes her more likable.” Another added, “I’ve never been a fan of Beyoncé because of her manipulative ways. Regardless of her talent or popularity, Rihanna is equally talented, if not more, and has kept a reputation for integrity. To me, she shines brighter.”
Now, I’d love to hear your opinions. Do you think Beyoncé tried to sabotage Rihanna’s career? And what about the allegations of Beyoncé stealing from other artists? Share your thoughts in the comments below