Album Beyonce 4 Page

“Love on Top,” “Countdown,” “End of Time,” “Rather Die Young”

In the summer of 2011, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter was already a global icon. She had conquered the world with Destiny’s Child, dominated pop radio with Dangerously in Love , and delivered a futuristic blockbuster with B’Day . By all logical metrics, 4 —her aptly titled fourth album—should have been a victory lap. album beyonce 4

She worked with legends like Earth, Wind & Fire, sampled The Originals’ “The Bells,” and brought in producers like Kanye West and The-Dream. But the real magic came from her vocal performance. On 4 , Beyoncé stopped trying to prove she had the biggest voice and started showing she had the smartest one. She worked with legends like Earth, Wind &

Released on June 24, 2011, 4 was a commercial success (debuting at No. 1 in the US), but by the standards of the “Single Ladies” era, it felt like a risk. There were no obvious, thumping club bangers. The lead single, “Run the World (Girls),” was a percussive, sample-heavy anthem built on a sample of Major Lazer’s “Pon de Floor.” It peaked at only No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100—a rarity for Beyoncé at the time. Released on June 24, 2011, 4 was a