Music Blogs

Beyonce Amazed By Hacked Vocals Prank

Posted Fri 24 Apr 2009 4:47AM NZST by Billy Johnson, Jr. in Hip-Hop Media Training

I never run out of Beyonce jokes. But I honestly never have anything bad to say about her singing. I think she has one of the nicest voices in pop music today.


Yes, she over sings a lot, just like Mariah, Christina and Whitney.  Well, Whitney, before all the...you know.

But Beyonce is a legitimate talent.

So when I heard about the Howard Stern segment Tuesday that suggested that Beyonce's unedited vocals from a Today Show performance last November sounded like garbage, I was suspicious.

When listening to the clip of Beyonce singing "If I Were A Boy," I heard cracked notes and other examples of vocal struggling that sounded embarrassing. But the track also felt digitally altered, and I'm not talking about good Auto-Tune, if there is such a thing.

Wednesday, E! News revealed that the entire story was a hoax and even found the person who edited the track to sound as if Beyonce could not sing.

A sourced named Matt from an upstart blog admitted that the Beyonce vocals were a joke. "Yes I created them, and they are fake," he told E! News.

Thursday, Beyonce also confirmed the scam to Today Show host Matt Lauer.

"It's so amazing that someone in their home can do a little prank and it can end up on these major radio stations," Beyonce told Lauer.

She added that she had not heard the track but was surprised by the attention it has caused. "How could you believe that? I heard it was really over the top."

While Beyonce laughed about the ordeal, Matthew Knowles, her manager and father, was furious. When TMZ contacted him about the incident he replied in a fiery statement.  

The gossip blog described Papa Knowles' statement as the best they have ever seen and I agree. Knowles called an idiot anyone who ever doubted his daughter's singing ability.

"If no one took the time to look at the biggest inauguration in the history of America then shame on them," Knowles quipped to TMZ.

"If no one took the time to listen to Beyonce sing 'America The Beautiful' and 'At Last' at the Neighborhood Ball for the first dance of President Obama and the First Lady, and they question Beyonce's vocal ability, they've gotta be an idiot,'" Knowles added.

"That would be like questioning if Kobe Bryant could shoot a jump shot. The vocals were obviously altered."

While there are other examples that Knowles could have used to illustrate his daughter's skills, I'm glad he used this one.

I haven't heard it mentioned since Etta James wigged out about Beyonce singing her song. Now, I just need to get Etta James' number so that I can call her and get her all riled up again. LOL.

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1377 Comments

61. Zina -
love this

62. dreamer -
her singing sounds like everyone else..... but what we need to talk about is her HAIR.... or should I say her Roots.... ! please all that money she should and needs to get a real hair dresser beautician, MAJICIAN anybody but no more bad hair days or up close pictures that make you look anything less than the superstar you are.

63. OMG -
Hey drmorticiasam, they person who released this admitted he altered it. Just goes to show that you have an obvious dislike for those who can accomplish something more than leaving ignorant comments on stories that CLEARLY state admittance of the truth. Beyonce' is a very talented young woman. What have you done with your life?

64. yerrr -
yerrr

everyone chill.

peace.

65. ^^ -
It sounds incredibly fake. Beyonce has a nice voice, not a fan, but if you listen to that and believe it's real you're an uneducated moron.

66. Yahoo! Music User -
Dont worry B.... your true fans aren't worried about this foolishness!!

Some people have nothing better to do with their time...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Now... I am mad because somebody misspelled the word "THEIR" in a quote from Beyoncé to Matt Lauer.....

Spell Check people!!

67. Jennifer -
Beyonce, just like any singer, can sing- the recording was altered and just a joke. Howard Stern is and always has been a pig and I have no respect for him-so I can believe he would do something like this. Beyonce reminds me of Diana Ross- she has a great tone that I feel does in fact put her with Whitney and Mariah and Christina- but I still feel like Whitney and Beyonce are better than the latter.

68. womenaresluts -
Why are illiterates allowed to post here?

69. Britt-Britt -
Beyonce is not the best singer in the music business. She is very arrogant and that's the real reason why there was so many different member changes in destiny's child. I mean don't get me wrong, she can sing her butt off and she dances very well but she needs to calm down with her cocky attitude before someone really hurts her feelings.

70. wendy g -
howard stern is stupid, im not surprized he was fooled, i could paint a brick gold and tell him it was real and hed buy it, dumbass

71. Yahoo! Music User -
JUST GOES TO SHOW EVERYONE HOW OUT OF TOUCH HOWARD HAS GOTTEN! MR. " I INVENTED SOUND WAVES " HOO HOO COUNLDN'T TELL THAT THIS WAS ALTERED AUDIO? WITH ALL OF THOSE "RADIO EXPERTS" HE HAS AROUND HIM - NONE OF THEM FIGURED THIS OUT BEFORE BECOMING TOTAL ASSES? WHY DO YOU BOTHER ANYMORE HOWIE? HOWIE - TELL ME HOW MY ASS TASTES!

72. Yahoo! Music User -
I don't think she would've become famous as the leader of a singing group at 16 if she could NOT sing!

73. jazzbooksfood -
Seriously, why do people even bother baggin' on Beyonce -- I don't like her "music", but that's just me -- when we've got utter crap like "Lady GaGa" running around????

Regardless, it's funny watching all these people rushing to defend Beyonce, as if she needed it.

74. Robert -
Baba Booey Baba Booey

75. Yahoo! Music User -
She does not have a great voice, she is marketed well. I was never a fan, there are so many better singers. Whitney and Mariah are really goog singers. They have fantastic vocals without music, cannot say the same for Beyonce

76. constitutionkid -
boy bloggers can make money on all kinds of things ha.Picking up the pieces thats got to be a first

77. Max -
BA BA BOOYEE!!!!!!!!!!!

78. lakevia -
I like her songs, but I don't she is not as cool and down to earth as people try to make her out to be. If Aaliyah was still here, Beyonce would'nt be s@$t!

79. John -
There are thousands of truly talented singers in America. The problem is that America is so freekin superficial that we encourage the Britney Spears effect. Beyonce is talented, but can she out sing Jennifer Hudson? (I'm not a Jennifer Hudson fan by the way it's just an example) Regardless of how talented Jennifer Hudson is, do you think there is a chance in hell she could ever sell as many cd's as Beyonce/Britney? No way!

80. Jess -
Jaymz if you seriously do not know who Beyonce is you must live in a cave. I seriously doubt you dont know who she is because why would you click to read this article? Everyone else who are posting comments that Beyonce cant sing, please get a life you. You and I both know that you know that Beyonce can sing. So stop being jealous and just accept it. Howard Stern is dumb and should lose all of his credibility for falling for this hoax.
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