No one surprises like Beyoncé, and she proved it once again on Friday, May 19th. The 32-time Grammy winner debuts a remix of "America Has a Problem" with Kendrick Lamar, in addition to an Instagram story, cover art and link to her website . The real fanfare didn't begin until the Beyhive reacted to the release on Twitter.
On the “Trouble in America” remix, Lamar has a new verse to kick off the track. The Silent Hill rapper's collaboration with Beyoncé isn't shocking in and of itself. Counting "America Has a Problem," the two artists have now collaborated on three songs. They released the Grammy-nominated Lemonade song "Freedom" in 2016, followed by "Nile" from the soundtrack to The Lion King: The Gift in 2019. Still, fans weren't expecting any releases from Beyoncé, let alone an album starring Lamar on release night.
"Why didn't y'all [sic] tell me Beyoncé released a remix with Kendrick Lamar!!? Queen B and the Goat!?" one shocked fan posted hours after the song premiered tweeted. Another noted that the remix was "everywhere," while others responded that they had no idea it was coming. Bay Stance was pleased with the unexpected development, with one writing: "She really gave it her all."
Lamar's new lyrics touch on a variety of topics, from artificial intelligence to his zodiac sign and mental health. However, the moment Beyoncé fans seemed to appreciate the most was when he rapped about his admiration for the Renaissance singer: "I'm the hive of honor, let's see why diamonds don't fly," one fan tweeted. Commenting on the quote, he wrote: "Kendrick Lamar is so real in this."
As some fans pointed out, the love seems to go both ways. They joked that Lamar was Beyonce's "work husband" and celebrated that they were "always successful" together.
Many listeners supported Beyoncé and Lamar's union and made sure the Twitter world knew they were happy.
But not everyone is happy. Many members of the Hive are disappointed that their queen has turned to Lamar again and made the matter public. "Now Queen Beyoncé, we're doing great. Why would you add Kendrick Lamar to anything?" someone asked.
Listen to “America Has a Problem” below.
