BEYONCE
by Noah Davis

Is there anything the “hottest girl in the game” doesn’t have? She’s got hip-hop’s hottest MC hanging off of one arm. She also has Papa Matthew Knowles looking after his little baby girl, a man with enough power to break up the tour de force that was Destiny’s Child because he felt his daughter needed to spread her wings. Then, of course, there are the millions of devoted DC-turned-Beyonce fans eagerly awaiting the release of their diva’s new album “B’Day,” which dropped September 5, one day after her 25th birthday. Much more than merely a “Survivor,” the girl is a damn industry unto herself.

Yet, unlike many spotlight-hogging, questionable-talented, wannabe divas, Knowles actually deserves the fanfare. Sure she has enough clout in her corner to make Bono jealous, but the girl (or, perhaps more appropriately with her coming birthday, woman) can absolutely bring it. B’Day, with production from J, Rodney Jerkins, Rich Harrison, Sean Garrett, The Neptunes, and Swizz Beatz, picks up where the uber-successful Dangerously In Love left off and doesn’t miss a beat. Young Beyonce might be growing up, but she hasn’t forgotten how to throw a party.