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Beyoncé · S8 E3
The Credits
How she cited her Black queer influences — and why that act of citation was itself a statement
A fan posts the full list of Renaissance's credited writers and samples on Twitter, and it goes viral within hours. Over 100 names spanning four decades of Black dance music: the album isn't just music, it's a bibliography.
"PURE/HONEY" live from the Renaissance World Tour. The track brings ballroom culture directly onto the stadium stage, with Kevin Aviance's legendary voice driving the energy.
PURE/HONEY
"PURE/HONEY" is actually two songs fused into one, and both halves draw directly from the ballroom scene. The first half rides a sparse, bouncing beat designed for vogueing, while the second opens into a warmer, more euphoric groove. Kevin Aviance's voice anchors the track, bringing the literal sound of 1990s New York ballroom into a number-one album. Listen for the transition between the two halves, where the production shifts from confrontation to celebration.
TAP TO REVEAL: The ballroom voices hiding in plain sight
“A big thank you to my Uncle Jonny. He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album.”
— Beyonce, Renaissance album dedication, July 2022
Which 1990 documentary brought ballroom culture to mainstream attention for the first time?
COZY
"COZY" is self-acceptance set to a beat. The lyrics ("Comfortable in my skin, cozy with who I am") celebrate the kind of unbothered confidence that the album's cited communities have always modeled. It's the manifesto track: be yourself so loudly that the world adjusts.
Renaissance cited its sources and honored its ancestors. Then one track broke loose from the album and soundtracked every dance floor, wedding, and TikTok video for the rest of the year.
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