Brandy Recounts the Gut-Punch Moment Beyoncé Was Used Against Her in Darkchild Feud Over a Stolen Beat

For Brandy fans, revelations about collaborators like Darkchild taking her signature sound to other artists after their split over Beyoncé and Kanye West wresting creative control might feel like blasphemy from the Vocal Bible. In her fresh memoir, Phases, the impeccably polished singer opens up for the first time about the quiet battles that have shaped both her personal life and her career.

The fallout continues from details about Wanya Morris “using” Brandy in their relationship when he was 22 and she was merely 16. Yet, Morris isn’t the only man in the industry she claims betrayed her behind the scenes. In the book, she delves into the pivotal partnerships between vocalists and producers, such as Janet Jackson with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, or Aaliyah with Timbaland. Brandy cultivated a similarly sacred bond with Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, but she asserts that things took a perilous turn once romance entered the equation.

In Phases, Brandy recounts the moment she realized her relationship with Darkchild had ended after a dispute culminated in a cutting remark about Beyoncé.

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“We were clashing the way siblings do when they know exactly which buttons to press. Only this time, he looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Go do what you’re gonna do while I go sell 5 MILLION records with Beyoncé.’ Those words hit me like a gut punch. I stomped out of the studio; humiliation burned through me like a wildfire. Left behind in the ashes was the painful realization that it was time for me to move on,” she wrote.

The collaboration began with Brandy’s admiration for his work on Mary J. Blige’s 1997 track, “I Can Love You.” The two quickly formed a powerhouse duo, with Darkchild producing many of her biggest hits, including “The Boy Is Mine.” Brandy described the synergy that gave her voice its unmistakable edge. When that partnership ended, so did the exclusivity that had defined their studio magic. Darkchild would later enjoy continued success with other artists, while Brandy contends that he carried away their groundbreaking techniques. Meanwhile, she says the producer barred her from continuing with the sound that had made Brandy “Brandy.”

“Him working with other artists wasn’t an issue for me. I was genuinely proud of what he built with Darkchild. I celebrated every one of his victories as if they were my own. But pride grew heavier when I started to hear our sound, my sound, echoed in the work of his other collaborators—the same intricate vocal arrangements with stacked harmonies that have always been my signature. The same song structure, the same approach we innovated on ‘Never Say Never’ and ‘Full Moon.’ At first, I told myself I was being sensitive, even petty. ‘This is the business,’ I whispered. Nobody owns a sound [until he blocks me from using it on my own songs],” she continued.

Ouch! Some social media users seized on these excerpts as proof of a rumored feud with Beyoncé or jealousy toward other artists. In reality, the reactions underscored how easily women in the industry are pitted against one another, while men face little to no accountability for manipulating or taking advantage of them. Many comments accused online commentators of reading Brandy’s words through their own narratives, missing the recurring theme that runs through Brandy’s career.

Read more about Brandy’s hardest fight for creative control when Kanye West unexpectedly stepped into the conversation after the twist in the tale!

Brandy Describes Kanye Starting A Musical Feud For Creative Control After Her Album Was Nearly Finished

Beyond the relationship drama, women in music have long fought uphill battles for every facet of their artistic vision. Even as Brandy was nearing completion of her fourth studio album, Afrodisiac, her own label was undermining her efforts.

“The dust had barely settled when I discovered the truth: the label was hoping to lure Kanye to Atlantic. Without consulting me, they offered Kanye two placements on my album, with the added stipulation that one of his records would serve as the lead single. They would also give him free rein to craft the video treatment for that single,” Brandy said, per Entertainment Weekly.

“The dust had barely settled when I discovered the truth: the label was hoping to court Kanye to come to Atlantic. Without consulting me, they had offered Kanye two placements on my album, with the added condition that one of his records would be the lead single. They would also give him free rein to create the video treatment for that single,” Brandy said, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Their first collaboration, “Talk About Our Love,” showed promise, but the magic fizzled on the follow-up track, “Where You Wanna Be.” The atmosphere was so fraught that two separate versions of the single circulated, triggering a heated debate between Brandy and Kanye.

“The album was basically finished, and I was still furious about having to compromise my artistic vision by bringing in another producer at the last moment. I conceded and went along with the team plan. The songs turned out great—there’s no denying that. Yet our disagreement over which version of ‘Where You Wanna Be’ should close the album turned into a power struggle. And I didn’t understand why Kanye fought me on it. I simply wanted a different vocal mix. We argued for days, and I refused to concede again, especially regarding how my voice was presented,” she explained.

No matter how many compromises she tried to strike about the final mix, Brandy said it still wasn’t enough for Kanye. She attempted a final effort to settle the matter, only for the rapper to shut down the conversation before it even began.

“He barely looked up from the soundboard. ‘Nah, I can’t do that.’ His eyes met mine, steady and unyielding. ‘I can’t because I turned it in already,’” she continued.

When she pressed for an explanation, Brandy wrote that he acknowledged nothing about having steamrolled over her creative vision:

“He shrugged, turning back to his work as if this conversation were done. ‘You’ll be aight,’ he said with a smirk that made my teeth grit. What outsiders might deem a minor disagreement felt, to me, like a stripping away of my agency on something deeply personal. Yet I couldn’t afford to show anger or frustration. There was a video to shoot and a solo track to promote with Kanye. I had also promised [Atlantic executive Gee Roberson] I’d return the favor and contribute a song to Kanye’s sophomore album, Late Registration. So I swallowed my pride along with the lump in my throat, forced a smile that didn’t reach my eyes, and nodded as if this were all part of the process.”

For every success on another project, Brandy fought a countless number of uphill battles to bring it to fruition. These revelations, shocking and sometimes sorrowful, stayed concealed for years to protect her standing among peers. Now they stand as a testament to all she endured to reclaim her voice and defy the odds.