Beyonce Accused of Stealing Credit for ‘Bootylicious’

Producer Rob Fusari has a bone to pick with Beyonce. He claims that the superstar stole song credits for Destiny's Child's 2001 hit 'Bootylicious.' The song, which samples a guitar riff from Stevie Nicks' 1982 hit 'Edge of Seventeen,' was actually his idea -- not Beyonce's as the song credits would have you believe.

"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 percent of the publishing [royalties]," he explained. "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 percent got cut for one note. That whole experience was bittersweet for me."

"I remember watching Barbara Walters interview Beyonce about 'Bootylicious,'" he continued, "and she told Barbara about how she came up with the idea for the track." Fusari also stated that Mathew Knowles informed him that Beyonce taking credit for the track would help record sales. "People don't want to hear about Rob Fusari, producer from Livingston, N.J.," Knowles said to Fusari. "No offense, but that's not what sells records. What sells records is people believing that the artist is everything."

This isn't the first time Beyonce has been accused of jacking song credits. Last year, she and the other members of Destiny's Child were sued for copyright infringement for the single 'Cater 2 U.' Chicago songwriter Ricky Allen claimed his song, with the same title and spelling, was the inspiration for DC's version. Before the track was released, Allen sent his song to Knowles who declined to work with him. The suit was later settled out of court.

Despite the snub, Fusari landed on his feet. After working with Destiny's Child, he met a then unknown Lady Gaga and executive producer her mega-hit debut 'The Fame.'