SZA Owes Beyoncé Money Over A Song, But She Says The ‘Generous Queen’ Isn’t Worried About It

Beyoncé has become a massively influential figure in R&B, pop, and beyond over the years, and that influence was felt on SZA’s album SOS, too, to the point where Beyoncé is actually owed some money over it. SZA knows this, but she says Beyoncé hasn’t actually gone as far as to demand compensation.

As People notes, in an April 28 video from influencer Zuhaila Jama (here), Jama jokes about the amount of writers credited on Beyoncé songs, joking that Beyoncé will give a songwriting credit to anybody who was even tangentially involved in creating a song. Jama also captioned the post, “She makes sure everyone and their mum is credited just for people to turn around and discredit her #beyonce.”

SZA took to the comments section to write, “I literally owe her half my publishing off interpolation alone on SOS and she never pressed me lmao a generous QUEEN [crying emoji].”

Towards the end of the SOS title track, SZA sings, “And I cried and cried / Said what’s on my mind.” This interpolates Beyoncé’s “Listen” from the movie Dreamgirls, the part that goes, “And I’ve tried and tried / To say what’s on my mind.” SZA’s track doesn’t credit Beyoncé or any of the credited writers of “Listen.”