Beyoncé’s 2022 album Renaissance has collaborations with Jamaican icon Grace Jones and singer and producer BEAM, the oldest son of gospel-reggae superstar Papa San. Both artists have received their first gold certifications in the United States.
Following a combined sales and streaming milestone of 500,000 units, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified ENERGY (with BEAM) and MOVING (featuring Grace Jones and Tems) as Gold.
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BEAM contributes twice on the house single Energy, laying his shape-shifting vocal over a dreamy instrument that he co-produced with Skrillex, Al Cres, and Beyoncé.
He also contributed extra vocals to Beyonce’s tracks on Renaissance, including “Heated,” which is already certified as Gold, and “Cuff It,” which on Tuesday reached 3X Platinum. Nevertheless, he was not listed as a featured performer on those tunes.
The powerful voice of Grace Jones, recorded in part at Zak Starkey’s studio in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, reverberates throughout Move. Memorable lyrics like “Brukup / It’s Brukup / It’s Brukup,” which alludes to Jamaican dancer George Adams, whose contortionist dancing technique enthralled audiences from Kingston to Brooklyn, are delivered by the Slave to the Rhythm vocalist.
The producer of the song, Sean “MeLo-X” Rhoden, is of Jamaican heritage and was born in New York. The song’s “rudebwoy” adlibs are one of MeLo-X’s contributions. He previously contributed to the songs “Sorry” and “Hold-Up” on Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade.
Move debuted for one week, peaking at No. 55, while ENERGY spent two weeks at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The last PURE/HONEY, another Renaissance tune, received a Gold certification on Tuesday as well. It features a sample of Moi Renee’s 1992 dance classic, Miss Honey, which was born in Jamaica. The late drag queen’s only recording, Miss Honey, was produced by Frank Fuentes and first issued by Project X Records as a 12-inch vinyl single. Beyoncé uses Moi Renee’s remark, “I know you hear me calling you, Miss Honey!” in PURE/HONEY.
Reporters claim that with the most recent certifications, Beyoncé has cemented her place as the most RIAA-certified female artist of all time, with 103 recognized titles in her repertoire.
RIAA President & COO Michele Ballantyne stated, “We are so excited to recognize the incredible talent, hard work, and creative spirit reflected across diverse genres.” She added, “Beyoncé’s iconic catalog has earned the achievement of most certified titles for a female artist in RIAA’s history. Congratulations on this crowning milestone, Beyoncé, Parkwood Entertainment, Columbia Records — and we see you, BeyHive, streaming on repeat!”
