Heads up! This podcast contains explicit language.

Finally, it's here. Beyoncé released her new album, Renaissance, and the superstar channels

of rich history of black and queer music. It's a joyful, sonic immersion made for dance floors

of all kinds. There's disco, dancehall, bounce house, gospel freestyle, funk, all served up in a

confident, sexy, and thoughty gumbo. Now that we've had some time to sit with and get down to

the album, how are we feeling? Was it worth the wait and where does this sit within the Queen B

Canon? I'm Aisha Harris, and on this episode of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, we're talking about Beyoncé's

new album, Renaissance. Joining me today is writer Kiana Fitzgerald. Welcome back Kiana. Thank you so

much for having me. Yeah, it's great to have you. Also with us making his Pop Culture Happy Hour

debut is music and cultural critic Craig Seymour. Welcome Craig. Hey, thanks for having me. Such an honor.

Yes, such an honor on our end as well. So Renaissance is Beyoncé's first solo studio album since 2016's

lemonade, but she's obviously been busy the last six years. She gave us the homecoming concert at

Coachella, plus two other major projects. The album Everything Is Love, her collaboration with

Husband Jay Z, and a soundtrack and visual album to accompany the 2019 remake of The Lion King.

Now her new album, Renaissance man, 16 tracks and multiple decades of musical influences. The list

of collaborators is so long, it includes go to producer the dream, now Rogers, Grace Jones,

Big Freeda, Thames and Sid, and the stylistic interpolations and samples are in abundance too.

You've got Robin S's 90s house banger, Shelby Love, of course, but also the Lake Ratinga Marie,

Barum DJ Mike Q, and Gospel Legends, the Clark Sisters. Those are just a few of the many names that

are dropped within this album. Now it's being marketed by her team as Act One of a Three Act Project,

and we're recording this Monday morning. So as of this taping, we have no clue what else awaits us

in the Renaissance era, though, but I'll be eagerly watching for it. I'm sure. Kiana, let's start with

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