Let me start off by saying that I had been holding off on starting my free trial of Tidal (I pay for Apple Music) in anticipation of Beyonce’s new album. I was tempted with Rihanna’s ANTI and Kanye’s Life of Pablo, but I held off. Now I can say I’m officially subscribed to Tidal, making Jay proud. Granted, after watching Lemonade, I'm pretty sure I don't care at all about making Jay proud to be quite frank.

I’ve also been always a proud Beyoncé stan - a card carrying member of BeyHive ever since I stole my first Destiny’s Child album from my Aunt when I was in kindergarten. So here’s my honest opinion of Lemonade, streaming on Tidal and HBO Now. The Beygency can breathe easy, because I was literally livinggg the entire time I watched Lemonade.

Every video and song flows perfectly in between each other, unlike how distinct (yet still ***Flawless) each video was in her eponymous surprise album from 2013. And the entire visual album is unapologetically Beyoncé and unapologetically black (which I know is hard for some people to actually grasp, but yes, Beyonce is in fact black). And for an artist who is notoriously silent in the media (with the exception of her recent Elle cover shoot to promote her new athleisure line, Ivy Park), we’re seeing her scream from the rooftops what she’s been dying to say.

Artistically, this is Beyoncé's strongest effort. A fully realized story is showcased. Each song is distinct, yet flows together seamlessly. Her message is both subliminal and evident. She travels through multiple genres and allows them to shine through without questioning the apparent shift from one song to the next.

“It's her most overtly honest album yet - nothing is sugarcoated.” - Isaac Lertola, Bard college student and proud member of the BeyHive.

If you didn't pick up on when you watched the visual album for the first ten times, Beyoncé covers Jay Z's infidelity, her strained (and fixed) relationship with her father, the #BlackLivesMatter movement and black identity, sisterhood, Christianity, the love for her entire family and feminist empowerment all while epitomizing #BlackGirlMagic.

"Beyonce pervades music as an art genre. She made an emotional, political, personal, international statement about what love can do to a person, but it's more than that. It went farther than love between a husband and wife, she shows the powerful love of being a black woman, the devastating love of mothers of police brutality victims, and the undying love between a strong, independent woman and herself. She put the white supremacy to shame and I loved every single minute of it." - Franny Lown , Boston University senior / BeyHive member

She is also damn well researched and enlightened in the work she produces including poetry by Somali-British poet Warsan Shire, a speech by activist Malcolm X and channels the pre-antebellum south by alluding to the spiritual "Wade in the Water."

"The most disrespected person in America is the black woman.
The most unprotected person in America is the black woman.
The most neglected person in America is the black woman."- Malcom X

The celebrity cameos further showed her commitment to the proving #BlackGirlMagic is real with Amandla, Zendaya, Quvenzhané, Serena, and Winnie.

...and she honors the mothers of those lost to police brutality.

Now let's get something straight. Beyoncé did not make "Lemonade" for the mainstream media, though everyone in the mainstream will eat it up. She made this album for herself. She made this album to get some serious shit off of her chest and you can hear it every single lyric. This visual album was a testament to Bey's self worth, self love, and lack of time for bull shit.

But she also made this album for her community. For the black community. For every marginalized person. For everyone in an abusive relationship. For every black girl who questions her self worth. For everyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. For every victim of police brutality. For everyone who doesn't fit into a society approved box. "Lemonade" is for you.

For those of you who have been sleeping, "Lemonade" stands to make sure you're woke. And Bey perseveres.

PRAY YOU CATCH ME

"Nothing else ever seems to hurt like the smile on your face / When it's only in my memory"

HOLD UP

"What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you"

DON'T HURT YOURSELF (feat. Jack White)

"Who the fuck do you think I am? / You ain't married to no average bitch boy"

SORRY (feat. Serena Williams)

"He better call Becky with the good hair"

6 INCH (feat. The Weeknd)

"Six inch heels she walked in the club like nobody's business / Goddamn she murdered everybody and I was her witness"

"With his gun, with his head held high / He told me not to cry"

LOVE DROUGHT

"All the loving I've been giving goes unnoticed"

SAND CASTLES

"Bitch, I scratched out your name and your face"

FORWARD (feat. James Blake)

"I love you more than this job, please don't work for me"

FREEDOM (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

"I'ma wade, I'ma wade through the waters / Tell the tide, 'Don't move'"

ALL NIGHT

"With every tear came redemption / And my torturer became a remedy"

FORMATION

"Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper"

"This was more than a musical event. This was more than Beyoncé. This was an awakening for every black girl out there who was feeling insecure. Any black girl who was feeling less than. Lemonade was Beyoncé's way of showing us Black Lives Matter and this is why." - Kelso Lee Kennedy, unapologetic Afro Latino Kween