When Tina Turner died, Beyoncé posted a tribute on her website calling Tina, “My beloved queen,” and “the epitome of power and passion.”  She also praised Tina for her “strength and resilience” and her “beautiful spirit.”

But her praise isn’t landing right with some fans who remember her 2013 track with Jay-Z, “Drunk In Love”, which contains a reference to the abuse Tina suffered at the hands of her then-husband Ike.  In the song, Jay says, “Beat the box up, like Mike in ’97, I bite / I’m Ike Turner, turn up baby, no, I don’t play / Baby, no, I don’t play, now eat the cake, Anna Mae / Said eat the cake, Anna Mae!”

Tina’s real name Was Anna Mae Bullock, and the “cake” line was a reference to a real-life incident where Ike physically assaulted her.   (Here it is depicted in the movie “What’s Love Got to Do With It”.)

So the Internet is doing what it does best, and refusing to let them forget what they did.   As one person put it, “I keep thinking about how disrespectful it was for Jay-Z and Beyoncé to have that ‘Drunk in Love’ lyric making fun of Tina Turner’s abuse from Ike.”

Another said, “That’s one reason I don’t play ‘Drunk in Love’ often, because of Jay Z’s verse and his reference to ‘eat the cake.'”

 

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