Slayer’s Gary Holt Questions Taylor Swift Hate, Calls Beyoncé “Overrated”

Gary Holt, the guitarist for Slayer, recently shared his candid opinions on two of today’s top music stars—Taylor Swift and Beyoncé—during an appearance on the ‘Scandalous’ Podcast. Holt defended Swift against criticisms and questioned the negativity she faced. “I love Taylor Swift. Why all the hate?” he asked. 

The metal musician praised Swift’s work ethic and kind nature, adding, “She’s an extraordinarily hard worker. She’s super f—ing nice to everybody, and people hate her.” He acknowledged Swift as “the biggest pop star on Earth” and commended her for her songwriting abilities, contrasting her with others who use large teams of songwriters. 

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“Taylor writes everything. And so, I give her credit,” he said. “Some of these other people require massive teams of… It’s just like a factory of songwriting.”

Turning his critique toward Beyoncé, Holt expressed strong disapproval. “Beyoncé will put out a song, and there’s 30 f—ing people on it,” he said, questioning how so many can contribute to a single song. “Like you’re not a songwriter, Beyoncé.” He further criticized the singer, labelling her as “the most overrated talent on Earth” and expressing that she is “marginally talented.”

Holt also targeted Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy, over her Grammy win for contributing to the song ‘Brown Skin Girl’. “Her daughter got a songwriting credit and a Grammy because she probably threw some f—king kindergarten rhyme on one line,” Holt said. He compared this achievement unfavourably to the legacy of Prince, noting, “She now has one-seventh the Grammys Prince — the greatest artist that ever was or ever will be — ever got.”

-Sushmita Sarkar