A retrospective on Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE
Written by Emily Gibbs
RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé album cover
The release of Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE four years ago launched the beginning of her most ambitious project to date. RENAISSANCE is ‘act one’ of a three-part trilogy that encompasses Beyoncé’s experiments with different genres, with COWBOY CARTER’s (2024) country music focus as the second.
RENAISSANCE delves into house and dance music, encapsulating black and queer club culture. The album features a cohesive blend of beats, with various samples from renowned black artists. RENAISSANCE was praised by critics and received eight Grammy nominations, winning four.
The album opens with ‘I’M THAT GIRL’, which epitomises the album’s themes. The repeated refrain of “please, motherf*****s ain’t stoppin’ me,” is a sample of Princess Loko’s verse on Tommy Wright III’s track ‘Still Pimpin’ (1995). Beyoncé’s references to black artists highlight black influence on hip-hop, house and other genres, utilising her huge platform to elevate these voices. ‘I’M THAT GIRL’ also embodies the themes of RENAISSANCE by focusing on female empowerment, demonstrating how Beyoncé fights to remain ‘that girl’ within the industry.
‘COZY’ is one of the strongest tracks on the album. It is an anthem for body positivity, for instance how the line “kiss my scars because I love what they made,” celebrates scars gained during childbirth. ‘COZY’ features a snippet from a monologue by Ts Madison in which the trans entertainer and actress states: “I'm dark brown, dark skin, light skin, beige, fluorescent beige. b****, I'm black.”
The song thus addresses bodily empowerment through the specific lens of black identity.
The first single from the album was ‘BREAK MY SOUL’. This catchy track is a celebration, emphasising strength in the face of adversity. It was particularly poignant given that production began on RENAISSANCE during the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘BREAK MY SOUL’ perhaps functions as a response to this and expresses a yearning for freedom, particularly through the outlet of music and dancing, whilst simultaneously serving as an uplifting anthem for the black community.
Transitions are a key aspect of the album, with songs seamlessly flowing into the next like a DJ mix. One of the best examples is the transition between ‘THIQUE’ and ‘ALL UP IN YOUR MIND’. It is almost unnoticeable.
‘AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM’ is a standout track from RENAISSANCE, not least because of the popular remix with acclaimed rapper Kendrick Lamar. The track samples Kilo Ali’s ‘America Has a Problem (Cocaine)’, which navigates the cocaine epidemic of the 1980s through analogy with a woman. Beyoncé flips this narrative as she speaks from the perspective of the woman, describing how she is as addictive as a drug. The production of this song is masterful, with Beyoncé singing over a powerful beat.
RENAISSANCE features many genres notably associated with Black culture. ‘PURE/HONEY’ is experimental in its approach, splitting the song into two parts. The first part features house music, while the ‘Honey’ section of the song leans into 1970s disco. Beyoncé samples Moi Renee’s ‘Miss Honey’, perhaps as a nod to Beyoncé’s fanbase, the ‘Beyhive’.
RENAISSANCE closes with the playful ‘SUMMER RENAISSANCE’. It samples Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’, embodying the unapologetic sexuality of the album. The “round of applause” lyric suggests the celebratory tone of RENAISSANCE, and reflects the involvement of fans that became crucial to the RENAISSANCE tour.
Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE is a masterpiece, combining slick production with catchy lyrics and samples. It is, in my opinion, her strongest work to date.