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By Jon Jackson
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Beyoncé fans have been excitedly buzzing on social media about the news that she's collaborating with legendary artist Grace Jones on her upcoming album Renaissance. However, many of these Beyhive members may be unaware that Jones once referred to Beyoncé and a few of her contemporaries as "middle of the road."
On Wednesday, Beyoncé shared the track list for Renaissance, which is scheduled to drop on July 29. Among the 16 songs shown on the album are the lead single "Break My Soul" and "America Has a Problem," the latter causing an online debate about its possible meaning. The Apple Music Page for Renaissance also includes many, but not all, of the contributors to the release. Jay-Z, Skrillex, The-Dream and Drake are named as composers, while high-profile artists such as Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder and James Brown are found in the sampled credits.
Listed as collaborators are Tems, Beam and Jones. The inclusion of Jones on Renaissance seemingly indicates that either she made amends with Beyoncé or that Mrs. Knowles-Carter doesn't hold a grudge. That's due to a section in I'll Never Write My Memoirs, Jones' coyly titled book from 2015.
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"Trends come along and people say, 'Follow that trend.' There's a lot of that around at the moment," Jones wrote in the book before listing off the names of several artists, including Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and even Madonna.
"I cannot be like them—except to the extent that they are already being like me," Jones said, before later adding that such stars "are not off the beaten track" but are instead "in the middle of the road."
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For those not familiar with Jones, the provocative, Jamaican-born artist scored dance hits in the 1980s with songs like "Pull Up to the Bumper" and "Slave to the Rhythm" and remains a popular live act. She's also appeared in many films, including the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Conan the Destroyer and A View to a Kill, a 1985 James Bond flick.
Beyoncé fans, whether aware or not of Jones' 2015 description of the star, have been celebrating the news of the two pairing up.
"I'm not getting over the fact that we're getting a Beyoncé x Grace Jones collab," said one Twitter user on Friday.
"Beyonce/Grace Jones together on a song!!! I'm not ready!" wrote another.
"Hold up....hold up——Did you say Beyoncé collaborated with Grace Jones? The Grace Jones? Slave to the Rhythm Grace Jones..Did I hear that right Are you lying to me....? Please don't be lying to me..." read one particularly enthusiastic tweet.
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