In the “Queens Remix” to Beyoncé’s chart-topping “Break My Soul,” she spends much of the third verse name-checking some of her iconic, trailblazing peers. Usually, Lizzo is part of that list, but as TMZ reports, Bey left Lizzo’s name out of the song when performing it Tuesday at her Club Renaissance tour stop in Boston. The omission came just hours after some of Lizzo’s former dancers sued her for sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, but there may be another factor in her decision to erase Lizzo from the lyrics.
Instead of Lizzo, Beyoncé repeated Erykah Badu’s name four times: “Badu, Badu, Badu, Badu!” This inclusion seems as loaded as the choice to leave Lizzo out. On Monday, Badu posted side-by-side photos of herself and Beyoncé wearing similar large tophats, writing, “I guess I’m everybody stylist.” Presumably this switch-up in “Break My Soul” was Beyoncé’s way of acknowledging the comment? As with most things regarding Beyoncé, we probably won’t ever know, but it sure is fun to speculate. Watch footage of the relevant moment below.