Top Ten Songs of 2016 

1. “Formation,” Beyoncé
2. “Nights,” Frank Ocean
3. “Summer Friends,” Chance the Rapper
4. “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1,” Kanye West
5. “No Problem,” Chance the Rapper
6. “Broccoli,” D.R.A.M.
7. “Champions,” Kanye West
8. “The Season / Carry Me,” Anderson .Paak
9. “Ooouuu,” Young M.A.
10. “Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane,” ScHoolboy Q

Beyoncé’s talent as a female popstar is unprecedented. No artist before her has been able to combine the two most important factors in pop-stardom — dancing ability and raw vocal strength— quite like the Queen Bee. Beyoncé, and even Janet Jackson, remain the best things pop music has seen since Michael Jackson.

Much of Beyoncé’s success can be attributed to her inclusivity. And the relatable break-up and make-up songs, like “Irreplaceable,” are intended to have that effect. However, “Formation” speaks to a specific group of people.

“Formation” is a celebration of blackness that’s most obvious in lyrics like, “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros / I like my negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils.” Furthermore, Beyonce protested the killings of unarmed black people across America at the hands of police by standing atop a police car in her “Formation” video.

To those few that haven’t paid attention to following Beyoncé, “Formation” may come as a surprise. “Saturday Night Live” even went as far to perform a reactionary sketch titled “The Day Beyoncé Turned Black.”

Throughout 2016, Beyoncé has become not just the voice for people either entering or leaving a relationship, but has also grown into one of the most important figures in today’s social climate, a climate that has birthed social activist groups like the Black Lives Matter movement.