Beyoncé’s new album cover seems to have piqued Erykah Badu’s interest.
The limited edition artwork for Bey’s upcoming Cowboy Carter was unveiled on Wednesday, featuring the 42-year-old singer holding a cigar, wearing long beaded braids, and a sash that reads, “act ii BEYINCÉ” as a nod to her mother’s maiden name.
Badu, 53, became aware of the cover eventually and shared it to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, captioning it with a mere, “Hmmm.”
It didn't stop there. Badu wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), "To Jay Z. Say somethin Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me?? 😆."
We don’t want to draw conclusions about what feelings the “Didn’t Cha Know” singer might be harboring towards the photo—if any. Could it be the beaded braids, as featured on Badu's own Instagram? It's not entirely clear, but it’s also hard to imagine there isn’t any contention based on comments she’s made about Beyoncé in the past.
Last year, Badu dropped a “Hmmm” on a photo of Bey wearing a chrome top hat during her Renaissance Tour.
“I guess I’m everyone’s stylist. Favorite chrome mirror hat,” she added.
Badu got a shoutout on the “Queens Remix” of Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” along with other Black women icons such as Betty Davis, Lauryn Hill, and Robert Flack.
While performing the song during her Renaissance Tour stop in Massachusetts, and shortly after Badu’s comments, Beyoncé seemingly responded by singing “Badu, Badu, Badu, Badu,” skipping Lizzo and Kelly Rowland’s names in the process.
It wasn’t always like this though. A glance through Badu’s past tweets show that she’s a longtime fan of Beyoncé, having attended her Formation World Tour in 2016, praising her for her “artsy poetic” turn with Lemonade, and even snapping photos together with Jay-Z at the 2014 Met Gala.
There’s more questions than answers for now. But it’s probably safe to say Badu won’t be tuning in to Cowboy Carter when it drops on March 29—at least not as a fan.
