Exodus guitarist Gary Holt is not a Beyoncé fan. And as it pertains to his list of remarkably talented artists, the “Godfather of trash metal” will gladly exclude the singer in favor of Taylor Swift.
The rock star did just that when he ripped the “Renaissance” superstar and shaded her 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, during his appearance on the “Scandalous Podcast.” A clip of him raving about Swift on the July 16 episode has recently begun to circulate online.
While speaking with host Ashley Steinmetz, Holt admitted to being a big fan of Madonna and Katy Perry’s early pop work, saying, “‘Teenage Dream,’ what a great record. She literally tied Michael Jackson for most No. 1 songs,” of the latter’s work.
He continues to say, “My hero’s Prince, you know the greatest artist there ever was. They’ll never be another one like him.”
But his take on today’s music somewhat derails when Steinmetz, who is outspoken about not understanding the Swifty craze, asks if Holt could help with the problem. He responds, “I love Taylor Swift. Why all the hate? She’s an extraordinary hard worker. She’s super f—king nice to everybody and people hate her. She’s just the biggest pop star on the earth and more power to her. I like them songs. I love pop.”
The rocker’s praise for the country-pop crossover star included lauding her for penning her songs with minimal additional writers. Holt quips, “Taylor writes everything. And so, I give her credit. She’s a songwriter. And some of these other people, they require massive teams.” However, his comments quickly become divisive when he uses her songwriting ability to seemingly discredit Beyoncé’s fandom.
“Beyoncé will put out a song, and there’s 30 f—king people on it. How can 30 people write a song all gathered together? It’s like, you’re not a songwriter, Beyoncé,” he says.
When the “Break My Soul” icon released her “Rennaisance” album last year, she received flak from those who took issue with 24 people being credited on the track “Alien Superstar.”
Her go-to producer, The-Dream, hit back at critics like legendary songwriter Diane Warren, noting that Beyoncé credited writers from the songs she sampled for her own record too. It is unclear if Holt is aware of that part of the discussion.
Still, his issues with the Recording Academy’s most awarded artist exist and even include those who have received accolades by being in her orbit. “I mean, her daughter got a songwriting credit and a Grammy because she probably threw some f—king kindergarten rhyme on one line and ‘Yup, give her a Grammy,” Holt continued, further venting his grievances.
The singer’s daughter won the coveted gramaphone trophy when “Brown Skin Girl” won Best Music Video at the Grammys in 2021. He added, “She [Blue Ivy] now has one seventh the Grammys Prince, the greatest artist that ever was or ever will be, ever got,” as he distinguished Swift from the class of artists who enlist “a factory of songwriting.”
His unanticipated rant concluded once he shared, “I got no hate for Taylor. She’s a good person — not that I know her. … I think Beyoncé’s the most overrated talent on earth. I think she’s marginally talented.”
There’s not a single thing Taylor swift does better than Beyoncé.
I don’t care if she writes everything lol pic.twitter.com/HX6X4S9xWp
— Southpaw Swade (@SouthpawSwade) August 21, 2023
In the comments of the YouTube video, a viewer wrote, “Where did all this animosity towards beyonce coming from?” Another viewer said, “People have been spewing hate for Beyoncé for years. From she’s talentless and overrated to she doesn’t write her own songs, it’s ridiculous.”
On Twitter, a fan came to the songstress’s defense when they wrote, “When someone has to drag someone else down to compliment another, it says way more about them than anyone else.” Another defensive BeyHive member said that the criticism was “mighty white of him.”
The two massive pop stars’ fan bases are regulars at warring against each other, but Beyoncé and Swift have both been publicly supportive of each other’s endeavors.
