Beyoncé, “Renaissance” Cover Art by Carlijn Jacobs

What a thing it is to exist in the same lifetime as Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. A foremost entertainer since her early days and rise to fame as a member of Destiny’s Child, the multi-hyphenate has gone on to achieve mega-fame and icon status. As we count down the minutes until the official release of Queen Bey’s seventh studio album, Act i Renaissance, at midnight on July 29, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to rank all of the superstar’s previous solo studio alums.

Beginning with 2003’s Dangerously in Love, Beyoncé followed up with 2006’s B’Day, 2008’s I Am…Sasha Fierce, 2011’s 4, 2013’s Beyoncé, and 2016’s Lemonade and provided fans with everything from thumping anthems to heart wrenching ballads. Picking a favorite Beyoncé album is an impossible task, but we did our best and ranked each of Beyoncé’s solo studio albums from incredible to… also incredible.

Lemonade, 2016

Beyoncé, Lemonade, 2016: Parkwood Entertainment

Hailed as a masterpiece upon its 2016 release, Lemonade follows the various stages of grief, and key themes of self-doubt, and identity, revealing a rare insight into the infidelity in her marriage with Jay-Z.

Beyoncé, 2013

Beyoncé, Beyoncé, 2013: Parkwood Entertainment

With too many hits to count, Bey ranges from the bumping “Drunk in Love,” “Partition,” and “***Flawless” to the more emotive tracks like “XO” and “Pretty Hurts.”

Dangerously in Love, 2003

Beyonce, “Dangerously In Love” Album Cover by Markus Klinko

A timeless piece of my personal childhood, “Crazy in Love” featuring her now-husband Jay-Z has become a prominent touchstone in pop culture, followed by the iconic hit “Baby Boy” with Sean Paul.

4, 2011

Beyonce, 4: Standard Edition Artwork

With the triumphant “Love On Top” where she quickly and impressively shifts through a whopping four key changes, 4 also includes the beloved “1+1” and the feminist anthem “Run the World (Girls).”

B’Day, 2006

Beyoncé, B’Day, 2006

To the left, to the left…B’Day is one of those albums that you forget just how much you love it until you listen to it from beginning to end. With hits like “Déjà Vu” and “Upgrade U” featuring Jay-Z, the classic breakup anthem “Irreplaceable” and “Ring the Alarm,” Beyoncé did more than prove her staying power on her second solo studio album.

I Am…Sasha Fierce, 2008

Beyoncé, I Am…Sasha Fierce, 2008

 

 

Last but not least, I Am Sasha Fierce features timeless ballads from “Halo” to “If I Were a Boy,” fused with fun-loving “Diva,” and of course “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”