Beyoncé. Her name is synonymous with untouchable excellence. Yet, beneath the dazzling surface of her billion-dollar brand, a storm has been brewing for years, only growing louder with the release of Renaissance. A growing chorus of artists and songwriters is now accusing the Queen of running a deeply questionable empire built on “shady credit moves,” pressuring victims into silence, and systematically taking publishing money for work she did not perform.

These accusations are no longer whispers; they are public calls for accountability that threaten to rock the foundation of her legacy.

Tiffany Red’s Bombshell: The 30% Publishing Scandal

The most aggressive claims come from songwriter Tiffany Red, who has gone public with the accusation that Beyoncé’s business practices are exploitative. Tiffany alleges that Beyoncé is not only running shady business but is also demanding a massive share of the royalties from songwriters.

According to Tiffany, Beyoncé has been accused of swooping in and taking between 15% to 30% of publishing royalties on songs she did not write, effectively taking the lion’s share of the money meant for the people who actually put pen to paper. To prevent the truth from coming out, Tiffany claims that writers and producers are allegedly locked into airtight NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) that silence them and keep the internal workings of the “Queen’s empire” hidden from the public eye.

Tiffany Red even connected this alleged practice to Jay-Z’s public complaints about Beyoncé being snubbed at the Grammys, sarcastically suggesting that Beyoncé might win Album of the Year when she “starts paying songwriters and stops taking publishing from them.”

The Sampling Controversies: Robin S. and Kelis

The allegations extend to a pattern of disrespect and lack of communication, most notably seen in the sampling controversies that surrounded Renaissance.

Robin S. and “Break My Soul”: Beyoncé sampled Robin S.’s iconic house track “Show Me Love” for her hit “Break My Soul.” Robin S. later revealed she was never contacted and only found out her song was used because her own son called her to say she was trending online. While Beyoncé sent flowers as a peace offering, Robin S. admitted in a street interview that she never actually heard back from Beyoncé after receiving them, suggesting the gesture was merely for public relations. Robin S. even threw shade by publicly stating that Chris Brown’s sample of her song was better than Beyoncé’s.
Kelis and “Energy”: Singer Kelis also came forward, accusing Beyoncé of “backstabbing” and showing “disrespect” for sampling her song without personally clearing it with her first. Kelis argued that while Beyoncé was technically legally compliant—clearing the sample with The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) who own the masters—it was a personal betrayal between two Black female artists who know each other. Kelis stated that the industry lacked integrity and questioned why Beyoncé was so strict about her own music being sampled, yet did not show the same respect to others. Following heavy backlash, Beyoncé quietly resolved the issue by removing the Kelis sample completely from the track.

The “Bow Down” Fabrication

The credibility of Beyoncé’s claims about her own songwriting has also been damaged by past revelations.

In one instance, Beyoncé claimed she wrote her song “Bow Down” by channeling her personal anger, even detailing her process of going into the studio with a “chant in my head.” This story was later revealed to be false when the actual songwriting team, Rock City, came forward to confirm they were the ones who wrote the track. They also noted the song was originally pitched to Rihanna, who passed on it, leaving it open for Beyoncé to claim.

Unbothered in the Eye of the Storm

Despite the mounting accusations that span her entire career—from alleged theft of publishing to lying about credits and using NDAs to enforce silence—an insider claims that Beyoncé is reportedly “completely unbothered.” From her perspective, she didn’t force anyone to write for her; the writers made the conscious choice to sign the NDAs and contracts, and therefore their complaints are not her problem. This defiant stance suggests that for Beyoncé, her business practices, however ruthless, are simply how the game is played.