Looks like PaPa Knowles ganked another producer for his producing credits and gave them to his daughter Beyonce. Rob Fusari produced Destiny’s Child’s hit “Bootylicious” and claims it was his idea to use the Stevie Nicks sample in it. In his recent interview with Billboard.com, Rob talks about now being one of Lady GaGa’s major producers and how Mathew Knowles told him to his face back in ‘01 he stole the “Bootylicious” credits for B.

Robs interview snippet when you read the rest…


Fusari tells Billboard magazine, “I came up with the idea to build a track using the guitar riff from Stevie Nicks’ Edge of Seventeen.

“I figured I’d put the guitar loop on there temporarily, and later go into the studio with a guitar and replay it, because I’d learned, after sampling Stevie Wonder’s I Wish for Will Smith’s Wild Wild West, that I didn’t want to lose 50 per cent of the publishing (royalties). I vividly remember telling Mathew Knowles, ‘Mathew, you got to book me into your studio and let me replay that riff.’

“He didn’t want to do it. So 50 per cent got cut for one note. That whole experience was bittersweet for me.

“I remember watching Barbara Walters interview Beyonce about Bootylicious, and she told Barbara about how she came up with the idea for the track.”

Fusari, who went on to help Lady Gaga launch her pop career, insists he was brushed off when he complained about the interview, adding, “I called Mathew – which was a big mistake; I got emotional, and I apologised after – but I called Mathew and said, ‘Mathew, like, why?’ He explained to me, in a nice way, he said, ‘People don’t want to hear about Rob Fusari, producer from Livingston, N.J. No offence, but that’s not what sells records. What sells records is people believing that the artist is everything.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know, Mathew. I understand the game. But come on, I’m trying too. I’m a squirrel trying to get a nut, too.’”

I rarely comment on Beyonce, because I feel there is no middle ground between "Stans" and haters, but I don't know why anyone finds this surprising.

banks said:

Honestly they are debating over a song like "Bootylicious" I mean whatever happend to fighting over a song like "My sweetLord" i mean Bootylicious is not even a song its a term, but again nothing surprises me about Matthew Knowles, i mean he did have Amerie shelved not once not twice but 3 times.

This may be just my opinion, but here it goes....

When she made that derogatory comment about the Jacksons, it was briefly mentioned by media than quickly "swept under the rug."

Is she that much of an American sweetheart?

scriptgirl said:

Yea.. I know what you mean... I don't hate her because i'm one of those people that can just flow with the times.. Just came across the article and thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss.

maria1999 said:

Okay I missed that part. What happened?

banks said:

Same here. I mean all the politics she really didnt have much control over early on at least. She can annoy me, but then do a video with alicia keys and look amazing (as always) and blow my mind, plus the song is good too. The issue though is that many of her songs and not just B, they just arent gonna be "remember that" 20 years from now.

I DISLIKE BEYONCE very strongly. I think she is brainless.

banks said:

She told someone in an interview she came up with it on a plane. She couldn't sleep, and pulled her CD player full of samples and loops, and came up with it on the spot. It was during a tour or something with Destiny's Child.

Personally, I love the song. I love the sassyness of it, and anyone can get up and dance to that. It's infectious. It's one of the only D.C. songs I like and can tolerate from them.

wow the way beyonce lies is crazy. Taking credit from other people. And how does this girl have any fans. I think her fans are brainless too. A girl at my work was so ghetto, ignorant, and had a nasty attitude and all she listened to was lil wayne, beyonce and rihanna.

I didn't know Rob Fusari was lacing Gaga. I used to stalk his mp3.com page in the late 90s! Was so glad when "Bootylicious" blew up.

I hear what he is saying about the sample game, but I don't think that "one note" would have had the same effect if replayed.

We all know Beyonce isn't that creative. She even takes credit for coming with the term "bootylicious" when we all know Snoop Dogg first used the term back in 1991-92 in the song "Fuck With Dre Day".

Bey says she wrote "Smash Into You". This is the original version sung by Jon McLaughlin for his album "Ok Now". The song was written by The Dream. Same lyrical content as Beys version, except SMACK is now SMASH.



Bey says she wrote the song "Halo". Here is Ryan Tedders original demo to the song. Only thing not used is the bridge, so how does she get writers credit?

She usually gets production or song writing credit for doing a vocal arrangement, which isn't supposed to count as writing towards a composition... it is merely an arrangement for that song.

it may be that Beyonce came up with some lyrical ideas, and a general concept - "Bootylicious", perhaps - and it worked w/ Fusari's musical ideas. From what I can tell in the interview, he only mentions the sample and building a musical track around it.

It's hard to say. I like Beyonce and I think she's incredibly talented, but it would not surprise me in the slightest to know that the songwriting credits she gets are a bit of a stretch. And my only question would be: why? I mean I realize there is a certain amount of respect that comes w/ being a songwriter that you wouldn't otherwise get, but most casual fans don't care who wrote a song - especially fans of pop artists like Beyonce. So it's kinda puzzling to me.

But in this instance, we don't really know the full story, and no reason to believe Beyonce was lying in her interview (judging from what is excerpted here, anyway.)

NoVideo said:

The songwriting thing is the way that Matthew Knowles keeps it under her umbrella, without writing credits she really has no right to anything for the most part. I mean with writing credit she now can get "songwriting awards" like Song of the Year and also the pay from radio that "writers" get that performers do not. Matthew Knowles is a creep, but he is smart.

Cinnie said:

Bullshit. She flat out says, "I wrote this song....." She even said that recently in a concert about "Irreplaceable" or "Single Ladies" - neither of which she fucking wrote. Lyin' ass bitch. Even the MFing wiki page on "Irreplaceable" doesn't say anything about her writing it; rather she wanted to change vocal arrangements, add drums, and sing the chorus higher. That's not writing. Ne-Yo was going to make it into a country track, although it was originally written from a male perspective.

She's just so full of shit.

lastdecember said:

ahhh good point

ViintageJunkiie said:

Check this out. Kelly Clarkson "Already Gone".



Here's the skinny on that:


And more about the writing of "Halo":


No fucking mention of Beyowulf on any of that.

NoVideo said:

Yeah i mean think of how many of her songs all have this "trendy line to them" "Single Ladies, Put a ring on it" "Bills Bills Bills" "I am a Survivor" Bootylicious, i mean HOW many times have we heard this term since the song came out, so, ownership of publishing or at least the pay and credit that you did something on the track, i mean you really dont have to do much to get the writing credit nowadays, look at a current top40 rb/pop ringtone hit and you will see about 10 writers, and then you will say "really it took 10 people to write this Flo-Rida track"

ernestsewell said:

Well, it is a lot of producing, just no songwriting

ernestsewell said:

Ne-Yo called her out on that and was about to sue her for Irreplaceable as well which explains why they haven't worked together since B'Day...

ABeautifulOne said:

I remember that and I was glad he said what he said. As I remember it, Rich Harrison pretty much did the same thing when she was going around trying to make it seems as though she "wrote" "Crazy In Love".

Beyonce Knowles is a greedy liar. Too many of these types of stories have come up for me to think otherwise. But, I actually thought "Bootylicious" was the ONE track she may have actually written! I remember her telling the story of how she came up with the guitar from Stevie Nick's song. Damn, this chick has serious problems!!

I'm glad she is being put on blast- why peeps still wanna work with her i have no idea

missmad said:

She's a cash cow that's why.

ernestsewell said:

Problem is she seems to make off with the loot too!

babybugz said:

TonyVanDam said:

Well until he had a trademark on it, or at least a song title (although you can't copyright a song title, just the content), I guess she was free to steal it.

I have a feeling it's just one of those words that rose out of urban pop culture and there is no real source to credit.