Inside The Rumored Feud Between Beyoncé And Keri Hilson

Keri Hilson entered the music industry as a highly sought-after songwriter. Hilson has penned several notable hits, such as "Gimme More" for Britney Spears and "Take Me as I Am" for Mary J. Blige. With such a powerful pen, Hilson gained popularity for her contribution to the catalogs of other artists. Ironically enough, Hilson attracted negative attention once she began recording her own music after rumors swirled of her going after Destiny's Child singer turned solo superstar, Beyoncé Knowles, in one of her songs.

Hilson released her debut album "In a Perfect World" in March 2009, featuring several popular singles such as "Energy" and "Turnin Me On," with the latter tune stirring up quite a bit of controversy, as it was perceived that she was taking jabs at the superstar in a remix of it. Though Knowles has not shared her stance on the rumored feud, it has been heavily talked about over the years.

Things seemingly soured in 2009 when a remix of Keri Hilson's hit song, "Turnin' Me On," surfaced online. In the newly worded version, Hilson made a reference that some interpreted as a slight towards Beyoncé Knowles. In the lyrics, Hilson sings, "Your vision cloudy if you think that you're the best, you can dance, she can sing, but she need to move it to the left." While these words may have appeared harmless to some, many speculated that this was a direct reference to Knowles' Grammy-nominated single "Irreplaceable," where she sings her notable line, "To the left, to the left." This fueled rumors of a rivalry between the two artists, as some believed that Keri Hilson was taking a jab at Knowles' singing abilities and suggesting she should move aside. 

At the time, Hilson denied that she dissed Knowles and even insisted that she was a fan. In March 2009, Hilson placed a call to Atlanta's V103 radio station [per Rap-Up], where she stated, "People are just reading way too far into it. People take things and make it what they want it to be. It wasn't taking shots at nobody." However, years later, Hilson would hint that others wrote the unkind song for the sole purpose of insulting Knowles, something Hilson may have felt pressured to do.

Sadly, the media played up the narrative of a rivalry between Keri Hilson and Beyoncé Knowles. In August 2020, while speaking with "Out Loud with Claudia Jordan," Hilson explained, "There was obviously a whole lot of public scrutiny that I had already dealt with for years, and that had built up, and I felt crucified for ideas and decisions that were not my own, that my arm was twisted to do." Further suggesting that she was at the mercy of her record label, Hilson added, "It was written that way. It was not my lyrics, it was not my writing, was not my doing, but I had to pay the penalty."

Finally, in April 2021, during a chat with radio host Persia Nicole for her "Middays With Persia" show, Hilson shared that she spoke to Knowles about the years-long rumors and put their issues to rest once and for all. "I do feel like she understood what that was all about," adding later in the conversation, "I made a decision that was not authentic to who I truly am, and of course, I regret it. Of course." Easing the tension seemed to be a freeing moment for the songwriter. These days, Knowles has continued her stunning transformation while Hilson has enjoyed years working behind the scenes on other's music and promising new tunes of her own.