Today, Beyoncé’s Dangerously In Love officially celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Do you remember the first time you heard the bombastic prelude of Beyoncé’s first solo single “Crazy in Love”? Its lovestruck lyrics that seemed at times nonsensical mixed with that uppity R&B meets funk meets a slight bit of electric new wave musings and of course, the Jay-Z cameo that gave us more reason to believe the two were an item. Entertainment Weekly deemed it a New Classic at #19 and it was surely one of the best singles of the 00s.
As a major success, Dangerously In Love gave us some of Beyoncé’s most memorable pop culture moments. From the dance moves, the music videos, the new age of female empowerment, Beyoncé was officially rivaling Britney Spears as the queen of pop music.
Though she’s unarguably released craftier, thoughtful tunes since Dangerously In Love and the larger than life pop culture phenomenons we have yet to downplay (cue: “Single Ladies”), the #Beyhive will always have a soft spot for this LP and its Swarvoski-heavy album cover. There were plenty of memorable moments to choice. From her fashion choices that are still some of her best ever (Google her in Versace and Roberto Cavalli) and award show moments (YouTube her shouting out “Jay” at the ’04 VMAs in her speech).
Let’s go down the King B timeline together. Here are the top moments from the Dangerously In Love era.
–C. Shardae Jobson (@lavishrebellion)
1. Her 2003 Video Music Awards performance medley of “Baby Boy” and “Crazy in Love”
Fans and viewers of the ’03 VMAs still recall the minute Beyoncé came down from the ceiling and started bellowing the hums of “Baby Boy.” Providing us with an adoption of Middle Eastern chic before Selena Gomez did for “Come and Get It.” Beyoncé knew this was her coming out party as a solo artist at one of music’s biggest nights. By the end, the audience had stood up from their seats and were jamming along. King B and her legion of sexy supporters had arrived. Re-watch the moment below:
2. Monique Tributes the “Crazy in Love” booty dance at the 2004 BET Awards
As the host of the awards show that year, Monique surprised the star-studded crowd by demonstratin Bey’s unforgettable “uh, oh, uh, oh, uh, oh, uh oh!” dance number from the Jake Nava directed music video. With Honey B in the front row, she showed the comedienne mad love and Monique made the moves her own.
3. Beyonce Performs with Prince and takes home 5 Grammys
The 2004 Grammy Awards show might as well had been The Beyoncé Show. The committee was obsessed with her as she performed the title track ballad twice with a set that mimicked an elegant Victorian age painting dipped in technicolor, and of course, that introduction with the legend that is Prince in which she joined him in her pink Cavalli ensemble for “Purple Rain”. Justin Timberlake and his mom loved it, and it was a highlight of the ceremony. This led to a regular parody on SNL featuring Maya Rudolph as sublimely high-strung diva Beyoncé, and even higher-strung Prince impersonator next to her. And who could forget the duo’s “We did that sh*t” look at the end?
4. Her First Pepsi-Cola commercial
Taking cues from Cindy Crawford’s 1991 Pepsi commercial in which the supermodel was dressed in nothing but classic Americana gear (jean shorts and a plain white tank) to refresh herself with a can of soda, Beyoncé had her first deal with the brand in 2003 with her updated version of this ad. The clip shows she too had to make a pit stop for some soda in some short shorts, as there was admiring young fellow too speechless to give her directions. She’s since continued to work with Pepsi, as in 2013 she re-signed for a huge endorsement deal worth $50 million.
5. Beyonce Vists The Oprah Winfrey Show
Even the iconic Oprah Winfrey couldn’t stop gushing about Bey. In promoting her then, just released first solo LP, the usually shy in interviews singer talked about what inspired the album, recent accomplishments and if she herself has been dangerously infatuated with another. She even briefly taught Oprah how to do the “uh, oh” dance. Get it Oprah!
