{"id":32777,"date":"2022-08-02T04:10:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T04:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/diane-warrens-shady-beyonce-tweet-sparks-collaboration-discussion\/"},"modified":"2022-08-02T04:10:48","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T04:10:48","slug":"diane-warrens-shady-beyonce-tweet-sparks-collaboration-discussion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/diane-warrens-shady-beyonce-tweet-sparks-collaboration-discussion\/","title":{"rendered":"Diane Warren’s Shady Beyonc\u00e9 Tweet Sparks Collaboration Discussion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The BeyHive (and much of music Twitter) swarmed songwriter Diane Warren’s account Monday after she asked, \u201cHow can there be 24 writers on a song<\/a>?\u201d accompanied by eye roll emoji. The tweet was in reference to the credits on Beyonc\u00e9’s Renaissance<\/em> standout, \u201cAlien Superstar,\u201d which has that same number of writers credited.<\/p>\n

Aside from some pointed replies about her age<\/a> and a red carpet moment with Mariah Carey<\/a> that clearly stung<\/a> (no BeyHive pun intended), what resulted from Warren’s shade \u2014 whether intentional or not \u2014 was a public schooling on Black music history, the art of collaboration, and why the concept of artistic brilliance being a strictly solo endeavor is a \u201cwhite capitalistic patriarchal idea<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cI meant no disrespect by my tweet. I love Beyonc\u00e9’s new album,\u201d Warren tells Rolling Stone<\/em>. \u201cShe She’s an amazing groundbreaking artist who I’ve worked with and admire immensely.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds, \u201cEvery collaborator who worked on this record should be celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first, the replies to Warren’s initial tweet called out the veteran songwriter \u2014 who worked on Beyonc\u00e9’s \u201cI Was Here\u201d \u2014 for not understanding how sampling and crediting works. Warren would respond that, despite every eye-roll emoji, every tweet was \u201cnot meant as shade<\/a>\u201d and that she understood that \u201cit’s probe samples that add up<\/a>\u201d the number of writers.<\/p>\n

But, like the number of songwriters credited on Beyonc\u00e9’s song, the responses to her tweet started to add up, too. And hours later, after feuding with stan accounts, Warren tweeted: \u201cI meant no disrespect to @Beyonce, who I’ve worked with and admire. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ok, I meant no disrespect to @Beyonce<\/a>, who I’ve worked with and admire. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding<\/p>\n

\u2014 Diane Warren (@Diane_Warren) August 1, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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You mean how’s does our (Black) culture have so many writers, well it started because we couldn’t afford certain things starting out,so we started sampling and it became an Artform, a major part of the Black Culture (hip hop) in America.Had that era not happen who knows. U good?<\/p>\n

\u2014 MUSIC ICON THE-DREAM (@TheKingDream) August 1, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But Twitter wasn’t having it. And neither were some Black creatives \u2014 including Renaissance<\/em>‘s lead co-writer The-Dream \u2014 who found an issue with what seemed to him like a direct attack on Beyonc\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean [how] does our (Black) culture have so many writers,\u201d The-Dream wrote back. \u201cWell it started because we couldn’t afford certain things starting out, so we started sampling and it became an Artform, a major part of the Black Culture (hip hop) in America. Had that era not happen[ed], who knows. U good?\u201d<\/p>\n

He then challenged her to a one-on-one writing contest, saying she \u201cwouldn’t want that smoke\u201d if it came to it. \u201cYou know I love you, but come on,\u201d The-Dream wrote. \u201cStop acting like your records haven’t been sampled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warren admitted to not knowing the history behind sampling in Black music, writing to The-Dream<\/a>, \u201cI didn’t mean that as an attack or as disrespect. I didn’t know this, thank U for making me aware of it. No need to be mean about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Twitter uproar also led Raquel Willis, activist and former executive editor of Out Magazine<\/em>to tweet a thread on the art of collaboration, a skill, she says, \u201cthat many can’t flex.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a white, capitalistic, patriarchal idea that brilliance solely happens in isolation,\u201d Willis wrote. \u201cWe see what happens when people feel their work has been lifted without proper credit.\u201d<\/p>\n

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We see what happens when people feel their work has been lifted without proper credit. We should be as transparent as possible about all of the forces involved in what we create and when we aren’t it means maybe we aren’t as skilled as we think.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) August 1, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

She then referred to the pushback Beyonc\u00e9 faced from Kelis, who accused the singer of sampling \u201cMilkshake\u201d without permission. \u201cWe should be as transparent as possible about all of the forces involved in what we create and when we aren’t it means maybe we aren’t as skilled as we think,\u201d Willis wrote. \u201cAnd, of course, proper credit should always come with proper compensation too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, journalist Monique Judge made a Twitter thread criticizing the approach some users took in trying to come for Warren, specifically a lack of Oscar wins despite having many nominations.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are telling her that since she doesn’t have the awards, her work is not great. This is a lie, and it contradicts the argument you like to throw up for your favorite Black artists who also don’t have awards,\u201d Judge wrote<\/a>. \u201cY’all are really mean #OnHere a lot of the time. Like, was Diane being spicy? Probably. But did it warrant all of that? Probably not.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Y’all are really mean #OnHere<\/a> a lot of the time.<\/p>\n

\u2014 first of all, bitch, \u2026 (@thejournalista) August 1, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Regardless of Warren’s intentionality, and the commentary on whether the number of songwriters diminishes the value of what’s good, one thing’s for sure: Renaissance<\/em> is a damn good album.<\/p>\n

ace Rolling Stone<\/em> reviewer Will Dukes put it, \u201cBeyonc\u00e9 is more relatable than ever, giving listeners all the anthems and sultry slaps we love and have come to expect from her, proving that inclusivity is the new black.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the people credited for writing \u201cAlien Superstar,\u201d they are as follows: Beyonc\u00e9, Honey Redmond, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Denisia Andrews, Brittany Coney, S. Carter, David Debrandon Brown, Dave Hamelin, Timothy Lee Mckenzie, Danielle Balbuena, Rami Yacoub, Leven Kali, Atia Boggs P\/k\/a Ink, Levar Coppin, Saliou Diagne, Mike Dean, Robert Francis Anthony Manzoli, Richard Peter John Fairbrass, Christopher Abbott Bernard Fairbrass, John Michael Holiday, Barbara Ann Teer, Kim Cooper, and Peter Rauhofer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n