Beyonce NEVER ceases to amaze. The Texas born Queen of Pop has done it again moving the nation with her controversial new song, music video and Superbowl performance. All which were chalked full of deep symbolism. First and foremost Beyonce is an artist, and good art moves people to feel a certain way.
The song and music video to "Formation" are direct homages to Bey's southern roots and the history of the South. From the antebellum houses, to the food, style and racial history the Southern culture is uniquely beautiful. Bey perfectly portrays this beauty through the cuts of Lousiana during Katrina, urban horse rides, and old school chevys.
"My daddy Alabama, Mama Louisiana, you mix that Negro with that Creole make a Texas bama,"
This direct display of loving your heritage is a powerful representation of self-love and a celebration of who she is as a person.
Negro and Bama, both being what a linguist would call "reclaimed epithets" where words that have previously been used as insults towards a community of people are adopted by the community as positive terms of self identification or endearment. The former being politically corrected to "African American". While the latter is still widely used to describe someone who is "country"
This blend of two Southern cultures is nothing and more prolific today than ever before, in part due to the amount of Creoles that were displaced into surrounding Southern States following Katrina.
“I like my baby hair with baby hair and afros,
I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils”
Sings Bey with Blue Ivy front and center, bouncing along with her natural hair. Throughout the video Beyonce rocks many hairstyles worn by black women from natural afros, cornrows, even blonde and straightened. The freedom to choose, and be confident in your style despite typical pressures to conform is the message. Especially now with the natural hair movement becoming so big, when 10yrs ago a lot of black women wore their hair pressed or relaxed. Knowing it's okay to embrace your natural features is important, which leads into the next line about Jackson Five nostrils. I read this as a direct nod to Michael Jackson himself who fought with issues of self image and spent thousands trying to correct his nose. A feature that he was often made fun of for as a small child. Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.-Lucille Ball
The video features cuts of a young boy dancing in front of a line of officers as well as a graffitied wall reading "Stop Shooting Us" a plea to stop the police brutality plaguing the nation. "I Slay" Beyonce sings as she plays with the use and meaning of the word- reclaiming the power from those who have literally murdered black bodies and making it a rebellious term for people of color to ascend modern oppression through the power of their talents Beyonce is rarely a vocal person when it comes to sociopolitical issues and made headlines when one the 10 people she follows on Twitter became social activist Deray Mckesson. Tidal, the music streaming service jointly owned by Hov and Bey recently announced that they would be giving $1.5M to the Black Lives Matter Movement another silent form of speech. This video chalked full of imagery how ever polarizing, definitely reflects a reality that many minorities face today.
The song dropped, the video dropped, and then just when you thought it was over, Superbowl 50.
Beyonce undoubtedly stole the half-time show after Coldplay's public display of support for the gay community. Bey marched onto the field in an outfit identical to the one Michael Jackson wore for his Superbowl 27 performance. Flanked by an entourage of back up dancers cloaked in black, donning Afros and Black Berets they took the show by storm performing a fierce "Formation". The dancers appeared to be a spitting image of the Black Panther Party, an organization that fought for social justice. The "BPP" was formed exactly 50 years ago in 1966, some Americans saw the Panthers as a radical quasi military group aimed at causing political disruption and public chaos. The "BPP" were targeted by the FBI and subsequently shutdown. Today amidst the epidemic of police brutality and social injustice, many viewers saw Bey's performance as an indirect shot at the police while others saw a high profile celebrity using her platform to pay homage to an organization who stood up for social justice in the face of adversity.
Art, is what it is. Beyonce is an artist no doubt, and good art draws a reaction, a response, forces uncomfortable conversation. Art can be interpreted many ways but, the fact that we are having a discussion about the symbolism that lies both in her song and performance means Beyonce has done her job. Beyonce embraces her heritage, recognizes history, is fully aware of her platform, influence and the current situation around her. She provoked a conversation, forcing people to reveal their true colors on a serious issue that plagues our society. That is art in the purest form.
Beyonce has also made it possible to get a free download of "Formation" and Stream Kanye's new Album TLOP with a 90-day Free trial of TIDAL, scoop your freebie here
