10 Famous Albums That Left The Best Song On The Cutting Room Floor
6. Beyonce - I Am...Sasha Fierce
Cut Song: "Black Culture"
The first half of Beyonce's schizophrenic I Am...Sasha Fierce "double album" is forgettable, adult-contemporary schmaltz. The second half is an edgier, more adventurous attempt at expanding her genre capabilities, and is where "Black Culture" would have found a perfect home.
Critics rightfully derided this as one of Beyonce's weakest, most watered-down albums. With only a couple of exceptions -- "Single Ladies" and "Diva" -- there's nothing on I Am...Sasha Fierce that packs a punch. That can't be said about "Black Culture".
Listening to the track now -- which samples heavily from Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" -- it feels like a preamble to her 2013 self-titled album, and even shares the same spirit as 2016's "Formation". Even as a half-finished demo, this feels like a huge step forward in her musical personality.
No offense to "Single Ladies", but "Black Culture" easily bests it on the Party-Jam-O-Meter (invoking MJ is an automatic win) and would have been blasted through car windows for months on end. It could have also kicked off her more empowered, Queen Bey phase a few years earlier, which would have made the track worth it in and of itself.