The Scathing Song That Connects Led Zeppelin, Jack White, Beyoncé, and Malcolm X

What do Led Zeppelin, Jack White, Beyoncé, and Malcolm X all have in common? No, this isn’t a setup for a convoluted pop culture joke. But it is a significant pop culture moment in general.

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Indeed, years before Beyoncé would make her country music crossover with Cowboy Carter that paid homage to Black country music pioneers, she was doing the same thing with rock ‘n’ roll.

The Beyoncé Song That Connects Her To Jack White and Malcolm X

Beyoncé’s sixth studio album was a moment, to say the least. Lemonade and its accompanying 65-minute film took the world by storm with iconic hits like “Formation” and “Sorry.” The magnum opus detailed the emotional trauma of dealing with her husband’s infidelity while simultaneously paying homage to rock ‘n’ roll and R&B legends who came before her—a stunning preview of the work she would do in the country music realm with Cowboy Carter.

But to make a good rock song, it helps to have good rock musicians in your corner. That’s where Jack White came in. In a 2016 interview with NPR, the White Stripes founder recalled Beyoncé asking him to be in a band with her. “I said, ‘Really? Well, I’d love to do something.’ I’ve always loved her. I mean, I think she has the kind of soul singing voice of the days of Betty Davis or Aretha Franklin. She took just sort of a sketch of a lyrical outline and turned it into the most bodacious, viscous, incredible song. I don’t even know what you’d classify it as: soul, rock ‘n’ roll, whatever.”

The song in question was “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” the third album off Lemonade, which features an excerpt from a Malcolm X speech. In the clip, the civil rights movement icon argues, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman.” He continues in the speech: “Who taught you to hate the color of your skin? Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate your own kind?”

When you hurt me, you hurt yourself, White and Beyoncé sing in the chorus. When you play me, you play yourself.

Another Connection Dates Even Further Back Than Led Zeppelin

Beyoncé’s “Don’t Hurt Yourself” collaboration with Jack White also connects the musicians to Led Zeppelin and, predating the British heavy rock band, two Black blues artists, Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy. Beyoncé used Led Zeppelin’s version of “When the Levee Breaks” to add even more rock ‘n’ roll flair to her Lemonade track, yes. But it was also her way of paying significant homage to Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy, who wrote and recorded the original version of Led Zeppelin’s cover in 1929.

Much like she did on Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé used Lemonade to give credit to the Black musicians who came before her, proving that even while she’s innovating her own path, she never forgets where she came from. And fortunately for the rest of us, that genius combination of old and new, tradition and innovation, lends itself to some of the most iconic songs of the 21st century.

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