Beyoncé

Released: January 1, 2002

Featuring: Mekhi Phifer

Songwriter: Beyoncé

Producer: Beyoncé

Yo, let me tell you how i care, when i was locked up, I couldn't smell the piss only the scent of your hair

So why you acting so scared

Yo Carmen wait let me finish, Cause you acting bout as bitter as a [?]

That sounds good and everything but the top of you changed

In the twenty-first century, no pop star was as poised, as polished, or as generally fierce as Beyoncé. She scored early success with Destiny’s Child, who started out as a sexier and sassier (if less adult) version of TLC, then steadily became more and more of a vehicle for Beyoncé’s operatic vocals and general diva-tude, which may have been the plan all along.

Whether appearing in TV spots, co-starring in films like Dreamgirls, or killing it every night on stadium tours, Beyoncé was omnipresent in the 2000s. Almost everybody, Beygency member or otherwise, loved shiny, hip-hop-fueled hits like “Crazy in Love”, and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. Moving into the 2010s, Beyoncé fights on, gaining more and more traction in pop culture with her work and music.

She has made a significant impact upon the music landscape in general with her recent albums 4 and BEYONCÉ, which explored complex themes like motherhood, feminism, marriage, sexuality, and doubt in a greater depth. With Lemonade, she went a step further—the fierce, intimate exploration of marriage, infidelity, and forgiveness was her most personal and musically daring album yet.

more tracks from the album

MTV’s Hip Hopera Soundtrack: Carmen

From the album

MTV’s Hip Hopera Soundtrack: Carmen (2001)

Beyoncé popular songs

Love Me...Beyoncé

Beyoncé

MTV’s Hip Hopera Soundtrack: Carmen