"America Has a Problem" is a song by American singer

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

, taken from her seventh studio album, '' Renaissance'' (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood Entertainment and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

as an album track. It contains a sample of "Cocaine", written by Tina Santron Macintosh and Andrell D. Rogers and performed by

Kilo Ali Andrell D. Rogers (born May 1, 1973), better known as Kilo Ali, formerly Kilo, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. Kilo Ali recorded mainly bass music (described more closely to Miami bass style music), but also hip-hop tracks with a le ...

. The song was issued as the album's third single. The standalone version features American rapper Kendrick Lamar and was released on May 19, 2023 through streaming and digital platforms.

Critical reception

"America Has a Problem" has received positive reviews from music critics. Will Dukes of '' Rolling Stone'' described the song as a "cool-as-the-inside-of-an-ice-cream-truck banger," and highlights its "stark" chords and "jittery" hi-hats. Writing for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', Kyle Denis applauded the interpolation of "Cocaine" for providing a "canvas for some of the best rapping of Beyoncé’s career; it’s an ambitious song that reveals new rewards with every listen." Melissa Ruggieri of '' USA Today'' named "America Has a Problem" as the most intriguingly titled song on ''Renaissance'', and praised how Beyoncé "tears into a liquid rap sandwiched between a heavenly

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

." In a mixed review, '' Consequence'''s Marcus Shorter writes that the song has a "great groove," but the "tough talk of 'rolling with goons in case you start acting familiar' feels more out of place than a nun at Chippendales."

Commercial performance

After the release of ''Renaissance'', the album version of "America Has a Problem" debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number 69 and on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 27. Fueled by the Kendrick Lamar remix, the song re-entered the Hot 100 at number 38.

Live performance

Beyoncé first performed "America Has a Problem" on the

Renaissance World Tour The Renaissance World Tour is the ongoing ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was announced on February 1, 2023, in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance'' (2022). The concert run began on May 10, 2023, at ...

(2023), with the opening night taking place in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...

. The song is performed during the news broadcast-themed "Mind Control" act and starts with Beyoncé standing behind a news station desk with the words "KNTY 4 NEWS" displayed on front. During the performance, Beyoncé wore different bee-inspired outfits, with the most prominent one being a custom

Mugler Manfred Thierry Mugler (; 21 December 1948 – 23 January 2022) was a French fashion designer, creative director and creative adviser of Mugler. In the 1970s, Mugler launched his eponymous fashion house; and quickly rose to prominence in the fo ...

bodysuit and an antenna headpiece from

Thierry Mugler Manfred Thierry Mugler (; 21 December 1948 – 23 January 2022) was a French fashion designer, creative director and creative adviser of Mugler. In the 1970s, Mugler launched his eponymous fashion house; and quickly rose to prominence in the fo ...

's vintage 1997 collection. After the remix featuring Kendrick Lamar was released, elements of it were incorporated in the performance. Lamar appeared as a surprise guest on the September 4 date of the

to perform his verse for the first time.

Personnel

Performers * Vocals by Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar Musicians * Beyoncé – sound FX * The-Dream – drum programming, sound FX * Mike Dean – synths, Sound FX Technical credits * Beyoncé – production, vocal production * Matheus Braz – assistant engineering * Mike Dean – co-production * The-Dream – production * Brandon Harding – engineering * Stuart White – mixing, recording

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Kendrick Lamar songs 2022 songs 2023 singles Beyoncé songs Columbia Records singles Kendrick Lamar songs Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by The-Dream Songs written by Jay-Z Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer) Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Song recordings produced by The-Dream Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Miami bass songs