Keke Palmer Battles Trey Songz Over Her Cameo in His Video

Keke Palmer has a message for Trey Songz: No means no. On Sunday, Palmer posted a lengthy Instagram rant directed at Songz (real name Tremaine Aldon Neverson), accusing him of “sexual intimidation” after he used her likeness without her permission in a music video for his “Pick Up the Phone” remix, featuring Fabolous. “This is preposterous. How am I in this video Trey?” she wrote. “After you found me in a closet HIDING because I was so afraid of anymore conflict. Literally my last option was to hide because you all would not listen when I said I did not want to be in the video the FIRST time.” She went on to offer some color on the series of events as she saw them.

“Just cause you give someone food and alcohol and throw in a little sexual intimidation doesn’t mean they will buckle,” she wrote. The Scream Queens star seemed even more upset by the fact that Songz did this to her despite their lengthy history. “You still disrespected me as a young women, whom you’ve known since she was TWELVE. YOU STILL, defied my wishes and in turn showed your lack of respect for a brand that took me fourteen years to build and put me in the video against my wishes.”

In the video, the 23-year-old “Hands Free” songstress can be seen sitting (momentarily) on a couch taking selfies on her phone. Later, her likeness appears as MIKExANGEL raps, “I palm her p**** like Keke/Like Keke, Like Keke.” Charming.

“Come on bruh, I clearly said no and you said okay, yet I was being secretly filmed when you told me ‘let me just show you the idea’?? Wow,” she lamented before arguing this was a clear case of “sexism and misogyny.” She speculated, “If I was a dude, he wouldn’t have even tried me like this. Let this be a lesson to all, I’m not for the bullshit. I’m serious about my business and you will not use my likeness without MY permission. When you in front of a boss you treat them like one, like I treat YOU.”

From there, the rant turned to women’s rights in general, echoing some of the themes of the Women’s March from the day before. “NO MEANS NO!!!!!!!” Palmer wrote. “People have to listen to women and stop questioning them and their intelligence.”

Palmer followed up this post with two videos in which she further commented on the circumstances that led to her appearing in the video. In a nutshell, she said that Songz invited her over for a party, but when she arrived, she says he tried to get her to appear in a video he was shooting. She had been drinking and didn’t feel comfortable working under the influence so she said no — but he then allegedly filmed her anyway and used the footage. “Life is life. This stuff happens everyday ain’t no different in ‘hollywood,’” she captioned her video post. “I guess I should say sorry for being real, but I won’t.”

She added a second video, noting that she tried to leave via Uber, but that her ride wasn’t going to get there in time, so she hid in the closet. She also noted in her commentary that she didn’t attend high school and considers herself to be somewhat “socially inept.”

Songz didn’t wait long to respond, posting his own note to Instagram maintaining his innocence from any wrongdoing. “So sorry for those that believe everything without knowing anything,” he began. “However, I cannot devote my life to responding to, or clearing up every side of every story you hear about me, when would I actually live? I know my character, I know my truth, I know my heart. God does too.” He then addressed others who might be going through tough times.

“Words to anyone who’s being tested right now…I feel you, it’ll pass, I’ve been in a million storms…they all pass. Don’t let the noisy thoughts of others drown your inner voice, or inner peace for that matter,” he advised. (His last kerfuffle happened in December, when he was arrested for destroying the stage during a concert in Detroit after the venue cuts his lights.)

We’ll have to wait and see whether this storm blows over like Songz says it will, but he might want to get an umbrella out in the meantime.