Grammys flashback: Beyonce’s ‘Dangerously in Love’ sweep in 2004 was a sign of things to come

“Dangerously in Love,” Beyoncé’s debut solo era, is an iconic piece of pop culture history. The record was a huge success on arrival, establishing Beyoncé as not just one of the women from Destiny’s Child, but a bona fide force in the music industry in her own right. Among its many achievements, it’s one of the biggest Grammy sweepers ever, especially for an album by a female artist.

The album was actually the last released of the three Destiny members’ solo endeavors, which in hindsight might’ve been for the benefit of all three. After all, “Dangerously in Love” would prove to be a perfect pop-R&B crossover record. In June of 2003 it debuted atop the Billboard 200 with over 300,000 copies sold. By November, the album had already produced two number-one singles, and it would eventually notch two more top-10 hits. The album also featured a lot of major industry players, such as Luther Vandross, Missy Elliott and Jay-Z (obviously), among others.

At Grammy time Beyoncé received six nominations, tying with Outkast and Jay-Z for the most bids at those awards. This was already a huge win for Beyoncé, and an even bigger win for Black talent, who have often been under-awarded. While “Dangerously in Love” was passed over for Album of the Year, it did manage a Record of the Year nomination for “Crazy in Love.” Beyoncé was considered a frontrunner to win some Grammys, especially since a lot of her nominations were in the R&B field where competition was lighter. In fact, Slant Magazine was predicting Beyoncé to sweep all but one of her nominations (Best R&B Song). When the awards rolled around, she did indeed win five awards, though the one she lost was actually Record of the Year.

Beyoncé’s sweep was quite impressive, even if predicted. Her Best Rap/Sung Collaboration win for “Crazy in Love” with Jay-Z was kind of obvious, but the song taking Best R&B Song from the eventual Song of the Year winner, Vandross’s “Dance with My Father,” suggests it could have won Song of the Year too had it been selected by the nomination review committee. That recognition for an R&B song that was both up-tempo and unapologetically influenced by hip-hop was huge since the Grammys are historically biased towards sappy ballads, retro pop smashes and political statements. “Crazy in Love” was simply that good.

Vandross and Beyoncé actually won a Grammy together that year too, for “The Closer I Get To You,” a deep cut on “Dangerously in Love,” which took Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The song “Dangerously in Love 2” won her another award, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance; considering that it wasn’t even a single, that win showed how much passion there was for Beyoncé, especially against major hits like Ashanti’s “Rain on Me” and Mary J. Blige’s “Ooh!” With those plaudits, it’s no surprise the album also won for Best Contemporary R&B Album, likely in a landslide.

“Dangerously in Love” winning five Grammys is a feat that has rarely been matched or exceeded. Beyoncé herself would actually outdo this, though, winning six in 2010 for her “I Am… Sasha Fierce” era. But more than anything, “Dangerously in Love” feels, in hindsight, like a premonition of what would become the most impressive Grammys run of all time. More than 20 years after its release Beyoncé is now the biggest Grammy winner ever. On her mantel, those five awards probably feel like just a tiny little speck of awards dust now.

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