Beyonce Drops Lizzo's Name from Live Concert Tribute Post Harassment Lawsuit

Is Beyoncé's decision to remove the 'Truth Hurts' singer off her set list a response to the recent lawsuit filed against Lizzo, or is there another explanation? A little over a month ago, Lizzo posted an emotional Instagram story in which she reflected on being included in a list of the most important, innovative, and legendary Black female musicians of all time. However, she was not mentioned at all on Tuesday.

While performing 'Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)' on her Renaissance World Tour, Beyoncé acknowledged her various musical influences by naming them in between verses. According to fan videos, Queen Bey omitted Lizzo this time around and instead mentioned Erykah Badu four times, despite the fact that Lizzo's name was still shown on screen.

According to Toofab, not only did Beyoncé omit Lizzo's name when she sang "Badu" four times; she also omitted a few others. Although Kelly Rowland, Lauryn Hill, and Roberta Flack's names flashed on the screen behind her, she did not mention any of them. After Badu was accused of "shading" Bey's style over the weekend, many fans believe that the rapper's decision to mention her name four times was retaliation.

On Sunday, Badu posted a photo to her Instagram Stories showing Beyoncé and her daughter Blue wearing identical costumes and wide-brimmed hats, a trademark of Badu's for many years. She annotated the photo with text and included a snap of herself wearing a similar hat, "Hmmm." She continued, "I guess I'm everyone's stylist, favorite chrome mirror hat." 

Lizzo's exclusion follows a complaint brought by three of her former backup dancers, who claimed they were subjected to a succession of deplorable working conditions between the years 2021 and the spring of this year, and were either dismissed or "forced to resign due to unbearable circumstances," as reported by TMZ. While it is not proven that the lawsuit is why Beyoncé omitted Lizzo's name off her list of inspirational musicians, the timing was too much for many, and fans were quick to react. Lizzo posted on her Instagram, denying all the claims and adding, "I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself, but I cannot allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not."

Within hours of the lawsuits getting public, some assumed Beyoncé purposefully left Lizzo's name out of her response, while others argued that it was really a coincidence (as demonstrated by the exclusion of other names) and that Bey was actually attempting to shade Badu. 

In the lawsuit, it is stated that in February 2023, Lizzo took her employees to the Red Light District of Amsterdam, where she "pressured" and "goaded" them into participating in unspeakable sexual acts. The lawsuit also claimed that "comments... charged with racial and fat-phobic animus" were made by members of the touring company against the Black members of the dancing team. More of Lizzo's former workers came out on social media as the plaintiffs' charges gained widespread public attention.

References:

https://toofab.com/2023/08/01/beyonce-drops-lizzo-concert-tributes-harassment-lawsuit/

https://hiphopdx.com/news/erykah-badu-shades-beyonce-biting-style-hat

https://www.tmz.com/2023/08/01/lizzo-sued-former-dancers-sexual-harassment-hostile-work-environment/