Key Takeaways
- Rolling Stone ranked Beyoncé and Jack White’s “Don’t Hurt Yourself” at No. 46 on its list of the 200 greatest rock songs of the 21st century.
- The ferocious Lemonade track blends distorted guitar with a sample of Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks” and earned a 2017 Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance.
- Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” ranked No. 8, while Alabama Shakes, OutKast, Prince, Willow, and other Black artists also appeared on the 200-song list topped by Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps.”
Beyoncé doesn't need anyone's permission to make rock music, but Rolling Stone just gave her another reason to celebrate. The publication has ranked her 2016 Jack White collaboration, "Don't Hurt Yourself," among the 200 greatest rock songs of the 21st century, placing the Lemonade standout at No. 46.
The recognition comes a decade after Beyoncé delivered one of the most unapologetically aggressive performances of her career, proving that her relationship with rock music goes well beyond a passing experiment.
And Queen Bey is in some impressive company. Her husband, Jay-Z, earned the highest ranking among Black artists, landing at No. 8 with "99 Problems," while TV on the Radio's "Wolf Like Me" cracked the top 20 at No. 18. OutKast's "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)" landed at No. 41, with Alabama Shakes' "Hold On" coming in just ahead of Beyoncé at No. 45.
Other Black artists represented include D'Angelo and the Vanguard ("The Charade," No. 59), Bloc Party ("Banquet," No. 62), the Roots ("The Seed (2.0)," No. 101), Bartees Strange ("Boomer," No. 106), Willow ("Transparent Soul," No. 116), Gary Clark Jr. ("Numb," No. 128), Prince ("Guitar," No. 156), and Moses Sumney ("Virile," No. 179).
Taking the No. 1 spot was Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps," followed by the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and the Killers' "Mr. Brightside."
Of course, "Don't Hurt Yourself" was never designed to play nice. Released as part of Beyoncé's groundbreaking 2016 album Lemonade, the track pairs her ferocious vocals with Jack White's distorted guitar work and a sample of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks."
That song, in turn, traces its origins to blues pioneers Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy, who recorded the original in 1929. The result was a blistering rock record that confronted betrayal, anger, and power without sacrificing an ounce of Beyoncé's musical identity.
The Recording Academy took notice, nominating "Don't Hurt Yourself" for Best Rock Performance at the 2017 Grammy Awards. The nomination was particularly significant considering rock's history as a genre built on Black musical traditions, even as many of its pioneers were subsequently pushed out of the mainstream narrative.
Artists including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard helped establish the sound that would eventually become synonymous with rock music, making Beyoncé's appearance on Rolling Stone's list part of a much larger cultural conversation.
Beyoncé has continued challenging the industry's genre boundaries ever since. Her 2024 album Cowboy Carter tackled country music's complicated relationship with its Black roots, incorporating elements of rock, blues, and Americana while featuring artists including Linda Martell.
And her ambitions haven't been limited to music. As previously reported, Beyoncé acquired Moët Hennessy's stake in SirDavis earlier this year, taking complete ownership of the premium whisky brand she launched in 2024. The acquisition made SirDavis an independently owned, Black-owned and woman-owned enterprise.
