Rated 51 in the best albums of 1995, and 2407 of all time album. Genres: West Coast Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop. You can hear the clear influence of Black transgender DJ/producer Honey Dijon, who’s credited on “Cozy” and “Alien Superstar,” and queer alt-R&B hero Syd, who helped write the sweet-and-smooth “Plastic Off the Sofa.” A personal reflection comes at the end of “Heated”: “Uncle Johnny made my dress/That cheap spandex, she looks a mess. Released 14 March 1995 on Interscope (catalog no. Her chants of “the category is…” and other language used within ball culture and queer communities also stand out in the music. It’s a staggering amount of talent in one place, and for all the pomp, Renaissance mostly manages to stay focused by putting energy where it’s needed most: the dancefloor.Ī nod to queer culture and representationĭuring an acceptance speech with her husband at the 2019 GLAAD Awards, Beyoncé dedicated her Vanguard Award to her late Uncle Johnny, who she described as “the most fabulous gay man I’ve ever met.” She penned a loving tribute to her uncle, whom she called her “godmother,” in the Renaissance CD booklet: “ the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and the culture that serve as inspiration for this album.” Dance music of all stripes was built by queer artists, and that history hovers through and around Renaissance. Renaissance delivers fierce club energy in suit-soulful, kinetic jams used as a vehicle to explore love, lust, and liberation in the COVID age.Īs expected with any Beyoncé release, the credits are star-studded-guest vocalists Grace Jones, Tems, and Beam songwriters The-Dream, Jay-Z, Drake, Syd Bennett of the Internet, and Leven Kali producers Mike Dean, No I.D., the Neptunes, Raphael Saadiq, Skrillex, Honey Dijon, and A. Shortly after Drake unleashed his dance project Honestly, Nevermind last month, Bey released Renaissance’s first single “ Break My Soul,” which flips samples from Big Freedia’s “Explode” and Robin S.’s influential house track “Show Me Love” into a sweaty groove perfect for a summer teeming with heat waves. Renaissance, her seventh studio album, is arriving at an interesting time, as different forms of dance music-Jersey club, disco, house, UK garage, and more-are taking over pop music.