On Saturday (February 6), the world was hit with yet another Beyoncé storm with the surprise release of her new song “Formation.” The messages presented in the song are causing an uproar, mainly in White America. With a visual release accompanying it, Beyoncé displayed several messages that forced people to pay attention. This video has become an important element of Black culture. Here are a few reasons why:
Black Power
I like my baby’s hair with baby hair and afros
I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils
She not only addressed critics in regards to her daughter’s hair (Blue Ivy), but she’s also letting the world know that Blacks should be, and are, proud of their natural state. Our kinks and curls are just as beautiful as those of European standards. Beyonce lets everyone know that we are proud of our black features, and aren't ashamed.
Hurricane Katrina
In the video, Beyoncé recreated the horrific event of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, LA. Reminding the nation of the government’s mishandling of the city in its most needed time, she is shown standing on top of a sinking NOPD police car surrounded by flooded houses. Beyoncé addresses the fact that the government was slow acting at providing help for the city’s citizens.
Feminism
When he f**k me good I take his a** to Red Lobster, cause I slay
If he hit it right, I might take him on a flight on my chopper, cause I slay
Drop him off at the mall, let him buy some J's, let him shop up, cause I slay
In this one quote, Beyoncé lets us know that a woman can do what a man does. Letting all the women of the world know you can cater to your man like he does for you. You can give him a couple of bills to go shopping at the mall. You know why? Because you can. So, being a woman is not going to stop you from doing that. Women are beyond the “traditional” gender roles. You never know, you might be the “next black Bill Gates in the making.”
I’m Southern and Proud
Coming from a girl who was born and raised in Louisiana, this video has heightened my gratitude for the south. For hundreds of years, being from the South and sounding country has been associated with being uneducated, below everyone else, unsophisticated, and ignorant. Even when a person from the South gets to a level of success, they tell them to "lose" their accents and everything that makes them “country” because it’s not seen as proper or up to par with the rest of the majority. Throughout the song, Beyoncé references the term “Bama.” A term used to belittle blacks who came from the South to the North that were described as someone who lacked class and wasn’t presentable to whites. Well, Beyoncé flips the script and turns this term into a term of endearment.
Earned all this money but they never take the country out me.
I got a hot sauce in my bag, swag.
Just because you gain success and money, don’t mean you should forget your roots.
Police Brutality
“Stop Shooting Us,” written in spray paint on a wall brings attention to the Black Lives Matter movement, while a child dancing in a black hoodie is in front of police officers. But what made the message even more powerful was a reference to the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture, a nod to the continuous mistreatment of unarmed black men and women.
Super Bowl Performance
To solidify her stance, Beyoncé brought “Formation” to Super Bowl 50, paying homage to the Black Panthers. Of course in American fashion, they took such a positive performance and turned it into a “hate act.” Many conservatives expressed that she’s initiating some type of war or riot in the police force and government, but that’s far from the case. People, we are just displaying our Black Excellence. Stay Woke.
If you’re in need of a further reminder, here’s The Dailey Show’s Jessica Williams:
And to all my fellow readers, remember Pro-Black does not mean Anti-White.
