Beyoncé Celebrates 10 Years with Lemonade. Is It Still Her "Greatest" Album?

Beyoncé certainly has come a long way since she and the rest of Destiny’s Child debuted their first single, "No, No, No," on October 27, 1997. Over her nearly 30 years in the business, she’s amassed a loyal legion of fans (the Beyhive), sold millions of albums worldwide, broken records performing in front of sold-out crowds, won more Grammys than anyone, and is often affectionately dubbed the “Queen Bey.” 

All that being said, on April 23, 2016, she released the “greatest” album of her career, according to Rolling Stone. The album was accompanied by a long-form visual album widely celebrated by critics, earning Emmy nominations. So what’s the album? And is it actually her “greatest”?

Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ Turns 10

I can remember it like it was yesterday. It had been almost two and a half years since Beyoncé had surprised the world and dropped her mega-hit album Beyoncé with no advance promotion, forever changing how musicians viewed rolling out their projects. Well, with Lemonade, the “Formation” singer did give her fans a heads-up about her next project, announcing she’d be debuting something on HBO.

When April 23, 2016, rolled around, the world was wowed as she premiered her music film Lemonade, and then released the album of the same name. Both the album and the film were widely applauded as successes for their creativity and lyrical content. 

On the creative side, she took risks and stepped outside of the comforts her fans were accustomed to seeing her in. She dabbled in rock with Jack White, went country for the first time with the track “Daddy Lessons,” and she, of course, relied on her R&B and pop roots. And when it came to the visuals, she had an all-star lineup of celebrities, including Zendaya, Winnie Harlow, and the GOAT of tennis, Serena Williams. 

The album also seemed deeply personal to the Grammy-winner, as it came after the infamous elevator incident at the Met Gala, and was really her first comment on the state of her alleged marital problems at that time. Considering Beyoncé built a reputation over the decades for being quite private, the lyrics were a shocker for many. 

Sadly, when it came time for the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2017, the album missed out on the biggest award of the night, Album of the Year. She lost to Adele’s 25. It was a decision many of her fans weren’t happy about, and even Adele was surprised by. 

Is ‘Lemonade” Still Beyoncé’s “Greatest” Album? 

If you listen toRolling Stone, Lemonade is technically Beyoncé’s best album, given that the publication lists it as their number one on “The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far” list. To this point, it broke genres, had personal and relatable lyrics, debuted on top of the Billboard charts, won a Grammy, won a Peabody Award, and still has tracks her fans love to hear when she’s on tour. 

However, I respectfully have to disagree with Rolling Stone’s point of view. Lemonade is a great body of work, but I’d say Renaissance is actually better. Some were likely expecting me to say Cowboy Carter because it finally earned her an Album of the Year trophy from the Grammys, sold millions of copies, was genre-defying, and the project led to her having the highest-grossing country tour of all time. But Renaissance is something special. 

Renaissance was easily just as deserving of Album of the Year. It literally is one of those projects you can listen to straight through, without skipping a track. It’s a feel-good album you can play on a summer drive, or rely on to get you through a grueling workout. Additionally, it’s worth noting that Renaissance earned her the most Grammy wins for a single project and led to her having one of the highest-grossing tours by a Black artist in history. 

So what do you think? Has Lemonade stood the test of time? Is it still her greatest body of work?

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