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About

Genius Annotation

‘AMERIICAN REQUIEM’ opens ‘COWBOY CARTER’ – Beyoncés eighth studio album and the second part of her trilogy project that began with the release of ‘RENAISSANCE’ in 2022.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

How did the song perform commercially?
Genius Answer

During the tracking week ending April 13, 2024, the song debuted at #30 on the Hot 100.

What did Jon Baptiste say about "AMERIICAN REQUIEM"?
Genius Answer

In an Instagram post on March 30, 2024, Jon Baptise, co-writer and producer on the track:

This is the moment yall, where we dismantle the genre machine. I was happy to produce and write for AMERIICAN REQUIEM, along with Beyoncé and Dion. When I catch inspiration, the words and chords pour out of me. What an honor to then see how brilliantly Beyoncé made them her own and THEN further enhanced the lyrical statement, synthesizing it into the larger body of work. After the harrowing vocal prelude that happens to start Cowboy Carter, you get to hear these words that read like a proclaimation. “Do you hear me or do you fear me?” or better yet in our Louisiana vernacular “Looka dere, Looka dere”
Prior to this, Dion and I had been on a creative journey, having conversations about the state of music and where we could take it. We’d been having these conversations for years but something about recent times has felt ripe with the power of actualization. When I picked up my guitar and notebook to write this song I put my trust in God to liberate my creative mind, as I always do when channeling inspiration.
Quincy Jones told me, as he also wrote in his foreword to my WE ARE album, “it’s up to you to de categorize American music!!” which is what Duke Ellington told him. I really believe that is our generation’s role, led by a few artists willing to take this leap.
@beyonce, so thrilled to contribute to your brilliant album, a work of such unimaginable impact and artistic firepower by a once in a generation artist. So glad that we finally got to collaborate with each other at this time.
Producing and writing for AMERIICAN REQUIEM was an example of extraordinary alignment—when many leading artists see a similar vision at the same time, that’s when you know a major shift is happening. A new era, long time coming. Let’s liberate ourselves from genre and break the barriers that marginalize who we are and the art that we create. Grateful and impressed by my brother @dixson and the other collaborators who helped make this album opening statement possible.

Credits
Project Coordinator
Percussion
Synthesizer
Additional Vocals
Vocal Producer
Keyboards
Mixing Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Background Vocals
Released on
March 29, 2024
AMERIICAN REQUIEM Interpolations
Songs That Interpolate AMERIICAN REQUIEM
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