Beyoncé’s 'Church Girl' Beat Was Originally for JAY-Z: 'Man, Beyoncé Stole My Beat'

Beyoncé’s Renaissance track “Church Girl’s” beat wasn’t always meant for her.

Producer No ID revealed in a new interview with Stereogum that the singer, 42, managed to claim No ID’s beat for herself — and away from her husband JAY-Z.

The producer explained that he was at the couple’s home working with the rapper, 53, when he created the instrumental beat.

“I was at [their] house one day, and I had some equipment with me, and I just started making a beat,” explained the 52-year-old producer. “And he was rapping to it, it was for him. And he just put it in the computer, I never thought about it again, I literally forgot about it."

Later down the road he received multiple calls from the "Empire State of Mind" rapper who wanted to run the idea that Beyoncé would use the beat for her album, No ID said. “Jay jokingly tells me, ‘Man, she stole my beat. She was like, ‘Remember that idea in the computer that you didn’t finish?’”

He continued, “And I went to see her, we talked about the record, we listened to her album.”

“Church Girl” became Renaissance's seventh track and the only one No ID produced on the 2022 album. No ID shared that while he started his career in house music, the song is one of the very few tracks on the album that isn’t rooted in the genre.

He admitted that he wanted to contribute a house-inspired track, but the “Love On Top” singer had something different in mind for the DJ. “Nah, we got this ‘Church Girl’ record," he recalls Beyoncé telling him.

As for the response to the record, No ID said he’s aware that some people “don’t like it” and some people “love it and swear by it.” 

“It’s art,” said the Grammy winner. “Usually, when music is divisive that means it’s something new. To each their own, some people like raspberry ice cream too.”

The producer’s revelations follow the conclusion of the singer’s Renaissance World Tour — which she completed on Oct. 1, in Kansas City, Missouri after performing in 39 cities around the globe. 

Fans who weren’t able to catch the concert in person can expect to watch Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, at AMC Theatres beginning Dec. 1. The concert film was filmed during the singer’s September stops in her hometown of Houston.