Black Women Have Always Belonged in Rock & Roll

If Beyoncé’s third act truly is rock and roll, the conversation should not be, “Can a Black woman do rock?” The question should be, “Why did so many people forget that Black women helped build it?”

After Renaissance honored Black and queer dance culture and Cowboy Carter challenged the idea that country music belongs to white America, many fans believe Beyoncé’s final act could turn toward rock. Beyoncé has confirmed that Renaissance began a three-act project recorded during the pandemic, but she has not officially confirmed the genre of Act III. Still, the speculation matters because it exposes a bigger truth: whenever a Black woman steps into a genre that the industry has tried to whiten, people act like she is visiting a place her people never built.