Happy 10th Anniversary to Beyoncé’s fourth studio album 4, originally released June 24, 2011.
In just under a decade, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s rapid, unfettered rise from Houston, Texas wunderkind to a global entertainment firebrand was remarkably singular in its scope. And it was in her ninth year of activity that Beyoncé tightened her grip on the popular music consciousness and squeezed via “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”
Issued on October 13, 2008—roughly a month ahead of her third studio offering I Am…Sasha Fierce—that kinetic slice of black pop omnipotence escorted Beyoncé into the realm of cultural permanence reserved for the likes of Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Diana Ross. These legends were self-admitted standards for the young superstar—as such, it was assuredly a moment for Beyoncé to appreciate.
But there was no time to take stock of this milestone as the “business of Beyoncé” steamrolled onward. The stump for I Am…Sasha Fierce—with subsequent singles and numerous repackagings—led right into the expected “I Am…World Tour.” The concert series (her fourth overall) commenced on March 26, 2009 in Edmonton, Canada and concluded on February 10, 2010 in the Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: 108 blockbusting shows in total.
Beyoncé embarked on a brief respite in the immediate aftermath of the tour, but still elected to take stock of her work environment. Amid that housekeeping, the biggest shake-up occurred when she severed professional ties to her father Matthew Knowles. He had overseen his daughter’s affairs since her Destiny’s Child days. This change laid the groundwork for the founding of Parkwood Entertainment—a music and film company owned and operated by Beyoncé. It was a huge step forward for the vocalist in demonstrating that she wasn’t just a pretty face whose domain extended no further than the stage.
Entrepreneurially emboldened, Beyoncé proceeded to evaluate her art. Dangerously in Love (2003), B’Day (2006) and I Am…Sasha Fierce were stellar chart fare but had been called out by pundits for their perceived abundance of flash and dearth of substance. The criticism brought Beyoncé career enlightenment: one’s greatness wasn’t only going to be measured by record sales or industry accolades, but by what one leaves behind on the wax.
Taking hold of her strengths and making note of needed improvements, Beyoncé readied to draft her fourth studio set, the aptly titled 4. The number also held broader significance for Beyoncé for several personal reasons, specifically that she and her husband Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter celebrate their birthdays on the fourth day of September and December, respectively.
Sessions for 4 were fluid and truly collaborative; an array of familiar and unknown songwriters, tunesmiths and musicians joined Beyoncé, who maintained a solid co-writing presence for most of the LP. Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Robert “Shea” Taylor, Terius “The-Dream” Nash, Luke Steel, Diane Warren, Ryan Tedder, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Jeff Bhasker, Jordan “DJ Swivel” Young and Frank Ocean are some of the figures that rallied to aid Beyoncé in realizing her vision of achieving a more well-rounded sound.
In her own words—from the liner notes of the Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 DVD companion to the album—Beyoncé described the ethos of 4, “I really focused on songs being classic. I focused on songs that would last and songs that I could sing when I’m 40 and when I’m 60. I feel that it’s important that I start shaping my legacy and doing things that have a little more substance. I really want people to think when they listen to my music. I want them to feel more than, ‘Ok, I’m at a party, I’m dancing…’ I want it to be a conversation. I want it to help them through their pain, and their most happy moments.”
The initial domestic version of 4 arrived in shops on June 24, 2011 as a twelve-track collection. International variants and eventual deluxe/expanded editions to follow later in the year saw its content count increase up to sixteen sides, barring any remixes. What was a constant despite these various format reconfigurations was the dynamic quality of the material contained on 4.
Like its three predecessors, 4 is a rhythm and blues record at its core; with this project Beyoncé would cast her R&B in new and old school aesthetics simultaneously. Seventies soul-soaked ballads (“1+1”), Minneapolis colored synth-funk (“Party”), filmic adult contemporary pieces (“I Care”) and a swank nu-disco excursion (“Lay Up Under Me”) point to an invigorating, stylistic expansion.
Beyoncé did not stop there—she folded in additional guitar-pop, hip-hop, martial music and afrobeat accents. The latter two elements emerge on “Countdown” and “End of Time.” Each cut employs a clever sample—Boyz II Men’s “Uhh Ahh” (on “Countdown”); Jai Paul’s “BTSTU” (on “End of Time”)—whereupon Fela Kuti-inspired live drums, robust brass, assorted percussion and programming flourishes are stacked and layered atop or around said sample. The results yield two songs that are, effectively, sonic parades in miniature that have Beyoncé at her most joyous as a singer.
This shift in Beyoncé’s vocalizing—which emphasized a newfound equipoise of strength and nuance—is in mutual reaction to the vibrancy of the music and the sensitivity of the scripts on 4. The primary narrative of the long player is romantic; selections like “Love on Top,” “I Miss You” and “Rather Die Young” articulate the depth and devotion that Beyoncé has for her better half. Memorably, during the promotional blitz for 4, Beyoncé revealed (in performance) to the world at the 2011 MTV Music Video Awards that she and Jay-Z were expecting their first child.
However, Beyoncé wasn’t just someone in love and left space to delve into the intricacies of womanhood as heard on “Schoolin’ Life” and “I Was Here.” This pair of tracks signaled to the larger journey of self-discovery soon to take place on successive post-4 albums Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016).
Preparations for the launch of 4 saw Beyoncé’s own Parkwood imprint partner with Columbia Records—the label she called home since 1998. Subsequently, all parties involved agreed that there was one song on 4 that should go out as its first single: “Run the World (Girls).” Originally, “Run the World (Girls)” was known as “Pon de Floor,” a digitized baile funk banger as tendered by the production clique Major Lazer—comprised of Thomas “Diplo” Pentz and David “Switch” Taylor—in August of 2009.
Catching Beyoncé’s shrewd ear, she superimposed (with permission) her ode to contemporary feminism onto the Major Lazer composition; the lyrics had come from the joint imaginations of writer-producers Terius Nash, Robert Taylor and Beyoncé. Major Lazer’s own Taylor sat it on “Run the World (Girls)” to supervise its transition to 4. Although the harsher electronics on “Run the World (Girls)” are fetching, they nearly smother the snare drum and dancehall percussion that drew Beyoncé to the track initially. One surmises that she envisioned the single as something of a compromise or link between the edgier electro-pop-soul of I Am…Sasha Fierce and the warmer sonic textures active on 4. The single did cement Beyoncé’s (seemingly) dichotomous status as an everywoman and otherworldly siren with loyalists, but its overt Sasha Fierce persuasion was a huge mixed message that contradicted the press circulating in the lead-up to 4 that promised a true break with the vibe of that anterior set.
Lukewarm notices and tepid chart impact greeted “Run the World (Girls)” in the spring of 2011. Thankfully, “Run the World (Girls)” didn’t speak to the whole of 4 and once it was made available to the public, rave reviews steadily accumulated; the inexorable march toward its worldwide gold and platinum certifications was well underway. Six further singles leapt from 4 up through to 2012: “Best Thing I Never Had,” “Party,” “Love on Top,” “Countdown,” “I Care” and “End of Time.” None would dominate the U.S. Hot 100, but her sway over the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart never diminished; receptivity in wider international markets also held fast.
“Party” and “Love on Top” were especially notable releases from this singles batch for Beyoncé. “Party,” organized around an interpolation of the Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick 1985 hip-hop chestnut “La Di Da Di,” featured OutKast eccentric André 3000 dropping in some bad-ass bars on the album version; this netted Beyoncé and the emcee a “Best Sung/Rap Collaboration” nomination at the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2012. Yet, André 3000 was reluctant to appear in the video when “Party” became a single—it was J. Cole who came in to respectfully work his magic on the mic and in front of the camera. “Love on Top” not only gave Beyoncé her sixth U.S. R&B number-one hit, but it also gifted her with a “Best Traditional R&B Performance” win at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2013.
The mania that often surrounds each of Beyoncé’s musical endeavors tends to obscure certain truths. In this instance—with ten years having come and gone—4 can now be recognized as the necessary bridgework between those earlier triumphs and the experimental albums to come in 4’s wake. Balancing creative control, self-expression and commercial accessibility was an important lesson for Beyoncé to learn so that she could be remembered not just as a modern day hitmaker, but as an artist worth discovering—that is the enduring legacy of 4.
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