Pharrell Williams Responds to Kelis’ Outrage Over ‘Milkshake’ Sample on Beyoncé’s ‘Energy’: “I Wish Her the Best, But I Wrote This Song”

Pharrell Williams is finally addressing the Kelis “Milkshake” drama, which came to light thanks to a Beyoncé record. 

To refresh your memory, Kelis publicly blasted Bey for using an interpolation of the 2003 megahit on her “Renaissance” album, particularly on the track “Energy.” After the record was released in July 2022, Kelis took to social media to call out the Houston singer and her former producer, Williams. 

“The reality is that it’s frustrating. I have the right to be frustrated. Why did no one have the human decency to call and be like, ‘Yo, hey, [we] would like to use your record,’” she shared in an Instagram video. 

After catching wind of the drama, Bey removed the portion of the song that mixed Kelis’ track.  However, Williams does not believe there was any wrongdoing.  During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the musician was asked if he spoke with Kelis after she called out him and Bey, to which he replied no.  In fact, Williams revealed he had not spoken with the singer at all in any capacity.  Regarding “Milkshake,” the designer explained that he was not required to get approval from Kelis since he and his partner, Chad Hugo, penned the single. 

“I wish her the absolute best.  But I wrote this song,” he firmly stated. “It was me and Chad [who] produced it.”

Kelis has long called out Williams and Hugo, collectively known as The Neptunes, for stealing her music profits.  However, after hearing “Energy,” Kelis felt that Bey should have also did her due diligence to make sure she was adequately compensated.