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Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' Has Arrived

Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' Has Arrived

Published Fri, July 29, 2022 at 5:41 AM EDT

Beyoncé's first official album since 2016's acclaimed project Lemonade, Renaissance has arrived. And because it's Bey, there's been a ton of build-up surrounding the album's roll-out — first the dramatic drop of the album cover, then an album leak, then a flare-up about the album credits involving Kelis and Pharrell.

The album was obviously much-anticipated with an interesting credit list — including underground Memphis rapper, Tommy Wright III. Earlier this week, he expressed his appreciation for his inclusion on the project.

"Yall finally get to hear my work with Beyonce on her new album "RENAISSANCE" !!!!!" he captioned the post. "I would like to thank the Parkwood/Columbia Records/Roc-Nation family. Words can't explain your hospitality. To all the Tommy Troops around the world let's salute one of the greatest performers of all time & a superstar that I respect tremendously! Guess I now enter a very elite club of Memphis artists/producers that have contributed to a multi-platinum production."

Other credited composers also include Raphael Saadiq, Jay-Z, Hit-Boy, Pharrell, Mike Dean, No I.D., Drake, and The-Dream. The lead single from the project, "Break My Soul" was released in June and became Beyoncé's 41st top 40 single as a solo artist.

“Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world," Beyoncé said when announcing the album on Instagram. "It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment, a place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.”

Renaissance is the first part of a "three-act" project. It's available to stream now.

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