Songstress Keri Hilson vehemently refutes Ester Dean’s declaration that she and Hilson co-wrote the Beyoncé diss track in 2009, which caused Hilson’s career to flatline.
Hilson created a viral moment when she visited “The Breakfast Club” on Wednesday, April 9. She finally told the backstory to the hit song “Turning Me On” that caused her career to burst into a thousand pieces. She conveyed she was blackmailed into singing the track and that Dean actually penned the bars that dissed Queen Bey.
Keri Hilson recounts recording ‘Turning Me On’ remix
“It’s a regret. But not in the way people think,” Hilson, 42, explained to the radio hosts. “That’s a song I actually didn’t write. Those are not my words.”
Continuing, Hilson recounted that “I was on tour, Polow [Da Don] wanted me to do a remix to ‘Turnin’ Me On.’ He produced the record. Because I was on tour with Lil Wayne, I wasn’t able to lay anything down. He had been on me for a couple of weeks, [saying] we need to do a remix,” Hilson said. “He had another writer in our camp at the time… He had her write this […] My album wasn’t out yet, I was told, ‘It’s not coming out if you don’t do this.’ ”
The backlash crashed down on Hilson with overwhelming force, like an avalanche, from the Beyhive and other music fans, and they were unrelenting in their attacks on Hilson for about a decade.
Ester Dean issued an apology, but not to Hilson directly
Now that Dean has come forward, it seems that she is trying to lessen the blow to herself by saying she “co-wrote” the song.
Dean, 38, told her 411,000 Instagram followers that it was a collaboration, which Hilson repudiated resolutely.
“I’ve worked with and supported many women since, but that doesn’t erase the moment,” Dean wrote. “Growth is real, and so is this apology.”
Keri Hilson rebuffs Ester Dean’s version of the events
Hilson had to return to social media to clarify that it was Dean alone who wrote the bars that dissed Beyoncé.
“You used the word ‘co-wrote.’ I RE-wrote 3 lines in your verse. Which was the ONLY battle I won in the whole matter. But you weren’t there when all this was going down, and we didn’t write it together. These lines are mine: ‘Been getting dollars boy/ Gone get ya money up / No you ain’t the only homie on me, line up.’ The softest section. Lines about a boy.”
Hilson continued, saying, “Because not only did I strongly disagree with the unnecessary hateful sentiments towards other women, and I’ve never been a fan of the publicity stunt method. You chose to stay quiet for 16 years, but [are] coming out now, when you felt a portion of the heat I’ve gotten all this time.”
Fans continue to slow-cook Ester Dean overnight
Some fans believe that Hilson should still shoulder some of the blame for singing the song. But many more have taken off after Dean for throwing the lyrical bomb and then retreating into the shadows for 16 years while Hilson was eviscerated publicly.
On “The Breakfast Club” Instagram page, which posted parts of the Hilson interview, fans had a lot to say:
- “Ooh & ester dean is a hater why she ain’t sing the lyrics to her own song dissing Bey? 😒.”
- “Ester should’ve sung it then bc it absolutely wasn’t a smart move it was messy.”
- “She’s really out here saying it was hit?! Yeah a hit to Keri’s career. Let’s see if she’d be thay proud if it had happened to her. How callous.”
- “Ester is standing on it because nothing happened to her as a result of writing it. They ALL left Keri out to suffer alone and that is so messed up. It’s actually disgusting.”
- “I wanna see them bee’s under ester dean posts now lol cause she coulda spoke up then since she so proud all of a sudden!!”
