Kaliii And Keyshia Cole Go Back-And-Forth Over “BOZO” Sample Clearance

Mya Abraham
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Once again, artists are getting into it over sample clearance. This time, rapper Kaliii and singer Keyshia Cole had a heated exchange over the clearing of Cole’s hit ballad, “Love,” which Kaliii sampled in her new single, “BOZO.”

The “Area Codes” rapper tweeted that the sample was “cleared, been cleared.”

However, the four-time Grammy nominee refuted that statement, saying she “never cleared it.” Cole doesn’t fault Kaliii though. “Like I said, I never cleared it. And like I said, I don’t think it’s your fault.. love u, wishing u all the best in your career,” tweeted the songstress before continuing to promote her Love Hard Tour.

Kaliii hopped back into Cole’s mentions, addressing the mother of two directly. The Atlanta native claims that Cole’s team is to blame.

“Keyshia, let’s not act like a song can be distributed on every single major platform without it being cleared by you or your team. your side dropped the ball. Thanks for the wishes, same to you my love #BOZO #kaliii,” wrote the 23-year-old.

The rapper alluded that she’d release “BOZO” whether or not the sample clears — and did.

The exchange between the women ended there, but Cole didn’t stop defending herself against naysayers. One person tried to blame the Oakland-bred legend‘s response to Kaliii on the idea that she didn’t own her masters.

To which Cole replied, “lol. Ok. Like I said, plenty of of people have asked. And I’ve never been compelled to approve. But I would’ve just not responded, if I couldn’t babes … I would’ve just let s**t be. But go awf QUEEN #LoveHardTourONtheROAD Get your tickets NEEEOW.”

Kaliii did, ultimately, release “BOZO,” but there’s no word on whether or not a lawsuit for copyright infringement will be filed. She faced prior backlash when her viral hit, “Area Codes,” surfaced. It interpolates lyrics from Ludacris and Nate Dogg’s classic of the same name, but Kaliii claimed she was “unaware” of the connection.

More from VIBE.com