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Cribs

It’s time that we all realize that we reached peak Beyoncé years before Lemonade, before “Single Ladies”, and even before Jay Z. Beyoncé was her most Beyoncé when Destiny’s Child appeared on MTV’s Cribs.
This episode aired back in 2000, so anyone born when this extremely important segment was airing is now learning how to drive. If you need proof that it is from 2000, please refer to Beyoncé’s thin belly chain as exhibit A.

Destiny`s Child on Mtv Cribs. from Beyonceliciouss on Vimeo.
Beyoncé, Michelle and Kelly, all in black tops and jeans, take us on a tour of their 6 bedroom, 5.5 bath, lake front home in Houston, TX where they all live…except Michelle. We never find out where she lives, but you know what? That’s probably for the best. Also occupying this particular home are Beyoncé’s parents, Matthew and Tina Knowles, as well as her sister Solange, who has the best bedspread imaginable. But more on that.
We start in the living room, which is really pretty, and something you’d clearly earn after some strong showings on the TRL countdown. It’s not what we would imagine for Beyoncé today, or even at that time, really. But it’s a pretty room to throw your suitcase down in. There’s a huge window that oversees the pool and the lake, and, as Beyoncé explains, the pool looks like it’s going into the lake. Yes. Beyoncé just explained an infinity pool to us, because you know what? She had to at that time. Even your rich friends’ parents didn’t have infinity pools yet. It’s nice that we got that information delivered to us by Beyoncé. Feels right.

We move into the kitchen where the ladies proudly hold up a Popeye’s bag and tease a peek into the fridge because, “It might not be too neat.” Turns out, it’s not. So Kelly reads us the contents, including: A1 steak sauce, milk, Country Crock butter, gumbo. Noticeably absent from her list? Hot sauce.

We meet an innocent-looking, bandana-wearing Solange, who has a gorgeous, sparkly bedspread in her room. Oh, and it’s not just any room. They converted the main garage into her room so she can continue to listen to her music “sky high.” If Solange couldn’t even get a real room, Michelle never had a chance.
After a quick visit to Tina and Matthew’s room, we discover that Beyoncé is absolutely THRILLED about having intercoms in their home. It’s nerdy and adorable, and a far cry from the woman taking a baseball bat to a street of cars, that’s for sure.

The gals show off a wall of accomplishments, including the TRL Class of 1999 photo, with Beyoncé noting that Britney Spears was “so very sweet as usual” and that Lenny Kravitz was going to work on their next album.
Kelly Rowland shows off her average room, teen movie collection, and closet, including a Candie’s shoebox box of mementos of boyfriends past. She also notes that she has pictures up of everyone she loves and when Beyoncé and Michelle notice they are absent, Beyoncé jokes that Kelly is going to kick them out of Destiny’s Child. Considering it was just months earlier that the group lineup went through some changes, it’s Beyoncé showing off that true brassiness we love and expect from our Queen.
Speaking of: Bey does her best Vanna White impression of her bathroom sink which has the actual story of Sleeping Beauty around it. Which would be impressive, until we get to her room. We’re not even entirely in the door to know it’s clearly the most beautiful room in the whole house and probably on that whole entire street. She describes it as “very colorful and dramatized,” which, if we didn’t know any better, could be used to describe Lemonade as well.

She shows us around the plush purple and gold accents, fit only for a Queen. Oh and that bed? The same one from the movie Devil’s Advocate. Because of course it is. And we’re not even at the best part! Beyoncé gracefully falls into her corner of pillows; at least a few dozen, bright, colorful, luxurious-looking pillows that serve as a corner of the room for Beyoncé to chill out and write songs. Full disclosure: I 100% have an area of my apartment that was inspired by this very pillow corner.
With a little song and dance by the pool, and then a poem and fake teeth, the ladies show us to the door. And just like that, we’ve left the Queen’s lair. In another universe, there is a Beyoncé who lives in this house Houston and is a sweet lady with lots of friends. But this is not that universe.

While Destiny’s Child always provided one of the better Cribs segments, looking back on it, there is some real significance to it. It was a time where Beyoncé let us into her actual home. Where she lives, and relaxes and writes songs on pillows. With the exception of 2013’s Life is But A Dream, this is a super personal peek into her life that we aren’t always allowed. Lemonade was deeply personal, but it was drama and matters of the heart. The Cribs segment is unique because we’re dealing with a more innocent, less jaded, even less worldly Beyoncé. She was goofy and singing and dancing and laughing and eating Popeye’s. Please tell me that Beyoncé is still eating Popeye’s. She was comfortable around her friends, and in her own little sanctuary. She was excited by intercoms!
With Lemonade, we got a lot of on-stage Beyoncé: the artistry and the acting and the choreography and the deep, dark stares. Incredibly masterful and beautiful and important. With Cribs, we’re dealing with sleepover Beyoncé. She giggles and she jokes and she listens to her best friends. It’s the girl that doesn’t need a powerful anthem behind her to say, “You go girl,” or “You don’t need him girl.” She just says it. While the aesthetic and the messages and every aspect of Lemonade is beautiful and powerful it’s just like…can we watch it from the pillow corner?
[Watch MTV Cribs: Destiny’s Child on Vimeo]