Splash NewsJay Z did not inspire at least one of Beyoncé's Lemonade songs.
The R&B and pop star made headlines in April when she dropped the record, whose tracks reference relationship problems and a cheating lover. Many have speculated the album is about her and Jay Z's marriage.
However, one of Beyoncé's co-writers, rapper Ingrid, has clarified that despite the innuendo in its lyrics, the song "Love Drought" is not about either, but rather about her own personal beef with members of the singer's label. She also says "Beyoncé doesn't even know this."
"When I wrote 'Love Drought,' in all seriousness, I was very frustrated with the label at the time two years ago," Ingrid told music lyrics and news site Genius in an interview posted Wednesday. "Two of the people who were in the label at the time had lied to me and told me Beyoncé wasn't currently listening to any new music."
"And then I got to the studio to go to her writing camp, literally, four days later, in L.A., they started playing me music [by another act]...it was very inspiring. So then the A&R is like, 'Yeah, I mean, it's amazing. I have to read to you Miss B's notes about their music,'" Ingrid said. "And she starts reading these notes and I'm like, they just told me that she's not listening to any music, which doesn't even sound right, you know. I was so pissed. So them I have my feet on the desk, I'm smoking...I couldn't get out of my head the fact that they just lied to me."
Beyoncé founded her own production company, Parkwood Entertainment, while her album was released by Columbia Records. The groups have not commented.
"Love Drought" is the only song Ingrid has co-written for the singer. In her interview with Genius, she recited some lyrics from "Love Drought" and explained what they actually refer to.
"'Ten times out of nine, I know you're lying, but nine times outta 10, I know you're trying, So I'm trying to be fair and you're trying to be there and to care and you're caught up in your permanent emotions,'" she said, adding, "As in, you're only used to working with Beyoncé and like, whatever she's on, that's what you want," she said. "'And then I switch to like, 'You're my lifeline, are you tryna kill me?' Because like...s--t, I don't have no income..."
"The whole hook, 'Love Drought' is about music, you know, my relationship with music," she said, adding, "I could've just reacted then and said, 'Man, she just told me...' but it was like, I had to internalize that and the only way that I could really get over it was kind of like, 'Hehe, she's gonna sing the song I wrote about her label one day.'"