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.

Follow Me On Twitter.

Follow Yahoo_Music On Twitter.

 

1377 Comments

81. tiffany -
Come on now if anyone even thought for a second this was Beyonce, they obviously never heard her sing, It sounded fake it was altered and Howard Stern knew that before he even played it, Beyonce has talent and a lot of it. People hate on greatness! its absurd and unneccesary!

82. Dan P -
You should proofread your work.

83. Yahoo! Music User -
It's just a cover up. She sux.

84. -
STOP HATING HATERS!!!!!!!!!

85. BETTYE -
That was the worst singing I ever heard. IT IS NOT MY GIRLsinging that song. Stop playing!

86. Yahoo! Music User -
I do not believe for a minute that beyonce did not hear the track. She and her father/mngr just want the public to think she doesn't care, and it's that stupid. All this hubbub they're making, making refutes on every friggin' website, and she never heard it? Bull.
Anyway, I thought it was a hoax, but she still is over-rated, and everything we hear from her is still seriously enhanced by producers, including her Inauguration pre-recorded lip sync numbers. I would hate to hear what she sounds like ACTUALLY live.

87. MichaelL -
Beyonce is an amazing singer

88. Knows All Sees All -
This has happened to Howard before so now I think he is the one creating this junk to create listeners and start conversation. Back then it was Enrique Iglesias who ended up singing on his show to proof him wrong

89. Jerod -
OKAY I agree whole-heartedly with her father!!! If you couldn't tell that was altered, you are A COMPLETE IDOT!!! I must say though, it was a HILARIOUS prank!!! I was laughin my butt off when I heard it!!!

90. kirkc -
HOWARD STEARN IS AN ......HOLE, MS KNOWLES IS AWESOME AND SO IS HER VOICE, SO DEAL WITH IT ALL YOU IDIOTS THAT HATE HER.

91. kooties_2000 -
Holy crap! This isn't beyonce. ( ^ _ ^ ) It's funny as heck.

92. Kaia -
everyone that iz on here sayin that beyonce' cant sing are some haters because that girl has a lot of talent and it wuld take an idiot 2 say otherwise and i bet 95% of the pplz dat said she cant sing sundz like sum dyin chickens wen dey sing so jus STOP HATIN

93. PinkMinx -
Amen HunyBunny!!! R.I.P. Aalyah :(

My girl- better than Beyonce. Sorry, but hella true

94. rick -
Sure its fake, Beyonce. Nice litle P.R here to cover up the truth. Do you really think that someone would go out of their way to make a fake copy of this. Come'on people, don't be stupid. She got caught and its ok, we never expect too much from American musical artists nowadays, do we?

95. Princess -
WELL THE TRUE B IS COMING OUT!! WHY WOULD THIS BE FAKE AND HOW WOULD SOMEONE GET A HOLD OF THIS AND IT ALTER HER VOCALS. ONE OF THE AUDIO ENGINEERS HAD TO DO IT AND SHE SAID SOMEONE CAME FORWARD NO ONE WOULD ADMIT TO THAT AND THAT FAST. THEY COULD LOSE THERE JOB AND IF SHE SAY THIS IS SO FAKE HOW COME SHE DI DENT SING RIGHT THEN AND THERE? JENIFER HUDSON WOULD HAVE SANG RIGHT THEN AND THERE BECAUSE SHE CAN TRULY SING, THAT'S WHY BEE WAS HATING ON HER SO AND COULDN'T EVEN GIVE HER SOME TYPE OF SUPPORT WHEN HER FAMILY WAS MURDERED!

96. Kip -
You have got to be kidding me. Beyonce' a serious singer?? Compared to Whitney Houston????? It is remarkable to me what the public has been brainwashed into thinking is good anymore. And let's not forget all the stupid lyrics in all of her songs. I can't help but laugh everytime I hear a Beyonce' song. "Thought I couldn't breath without ya', I'm inhalin!" "Thought I couldn't last with out ya', but I'm lastin!" Ha Ha Ha Haaaa!

97. memyselfandI -
jonathanschine - 3 minutes ago
I DONT KNOW WAT THE [profane] NONE OF YOU HATING ASS [profane]ES ON HERE IS TALKIN ABOUT BUT YALL CAN LEAVE MY GIRL BEYONCE GISELLE KNOWLES THE [profane] ALONE. THIS GIRL FIRST OF ALL IS A VIRGO (SHOUT OUT TO ALL VIRGOS) WHICH MEANS SHES A PERFECTIONIST WE DO EVERYTHING TO PERFECTION AND SHES HONESTLY A TRUE TALENT SO WHO EVER GOT SOMETHIN TO SAY ABOUT IT CAN SADNDOS!(SUCK A DICK AND DIE OR SOMETHIN) LMAO....

And yet Beyonce will NEVER give your ass the time of day....keep dreaming about "your girl"....who cares what her sign is (Virgos ain't all you're making them out to be)....she's just plain boring. True talent comes from singing...not shaking your ass at the camera and wearing close to nothing on tv....that's called being a SLUT!!!

98. Yahoo! Music User -
You moron, Howard very clearly and repeatedly said he didn't know if it was real or not. He was not fooled into thinking it was real. Next time, get your facts straight.

99. d-no -
MAYBE it's a fake; but she still absolutely sucks and I can't understand how she has any fans,

100. Yahoo! Music User -
# 19, Crank records

I agree w/ you that she has great production. But not great ideas. She steals. Beyonce steals people blind of songwriting credits, and she stole from unknown artists to try to get a unique sound for her ridiculous last album. Ring on it was garbage. No unknown singer would have had a hit with that. But because it's beyonce, it was pushed down everyone's throat.
Page:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 
Leave Your Comment
You must sign in to leave a comment
Select a Blog Posts
Attention, Attention
by Shahlin Graves
32
Chartalec
by Andrew Miller
21
Framed
by John Kordosh
118
Hip-Hop Media Training
by Billy Johnson, Jr.
217
List Of The Day
by Rob O'Connor
331
New This Week
by Dave DiMartino
122
Rap It Up
by James Castady
28
Sub Pop Rock City
by Luke Oram
29
That's Really Week
by Lyndsey Parker
124
The Eclectic
by The Eclectic
37
The MOJO Blog
by Bill DeMain
88
The Y! Music Playlist Blog
by Robert of the Radish
511