Everyone is freaking out over Beyoncé's "Lemonade" and they have good reason to. Beyoncé almost broke the internet (again) when her latest album was released on April 23. Beyoncé serves up a heavy dose of #blackgirlmagic in 12 commanding tracks that tackle marital issues, heartbreak, feminism, societal injustices and the Black Lives Matter movement, all while experimenting with different musical genres and influences. The album almost immediately began trending on Twitter as members of the BeyHive frantically tried to make speculations as to who the "other woman" was or if divorce was possible for one of the world's most loved celebrity couples.
While many people think that the whole album is just about throwing shade at Jay Z's infidelity (notably the tracks "Sorry" and "Don't Hurt Yourself"), Beyoncé and this album are so much more complex than that, and to think that she produced an entire album about her relationship issues would be surface level thinking at best. "Lemonade" is made by a Black woman, and is all about and for all Black women. "Lemonade" aims to celebrate Black power and Black femininity. The lyrics are powerful and filled with the raw emotions of jealousy, rage, joy, betrayal and female empowerment. Even more compelling are the music videos that accompany the songs, which feature a variety of influential Black women, including actresses Zendaya and Amandla Stenberg, tennis star Serena Williams and the mothers of police brutality victims Mike Brown, Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin.
"Lemonade" addresses all of the Black women who have been wronged by the men that they love the most. This album is for the Black women with absent fathers ("Daddy Issues") and for the Black women with husbands who have left them for "Becky with the good hair" ("Sorry"). This album is for the Black women who have had to bury their loved ones and for the Black women who are continually wronged by a system that tells them that they don't matter ("Forward" and "Freedom").
While I don't think that Beyoncé is the voice for Black women, I do believe that she is a voice for Black women. "Lemonade" shines light on the struggle of Black women -- the Black women who love too hard ("Sandcastles" and "Love Drought") and are hurt in the worst ways imaginable by those closest to them ("Pray You Catch Me"); the Black women who are vulnerable and angry and independent ("Hold Up" and "Don't Hurt Yourself"); the Black women who forgive and those who don't ("All Night").
In "Don't Hurt Yourself," Beyoncé uses a Malcolm X, declaring that "the most disrespected person in America is the black woman." Historically speaking, Black women have never been valued or protected. Too often are we conditioned by societal expectations of what a Black woman should be. We're constantly surrounded by European beauty standards in the media and are taught at an early age that "White is right" through the marketing of skin lightening creams and hair relaxers frequently targeted to Black women and girls. We are told that our dark skin, kinky hair and full lips are undesirable -- unless they're on white women, of course. Society tells us that we should hate ourselves and be ashamed of where we came from and very rarely in the music industry do we hear an artist that actually encourages us to embrace our culture and our features ("Formation"). "Lemonade" is a powerful call-to-action and self-love for Black women, and serves as a reminder that even the strongest and most influential women fall down sometimes, and that's okay because when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
In an earlier interview with ELLE this month, when asked about her career goals, Beyoncé stated, "I hope I can create art that helps people heal. Art that makes people feel proud of their struggle. Everyone experiences pain, but sometimes you need to be uncomfortable to transform." She definitely put those words to action with this release.
"Lemonade" is now available for purchase on iTunes, but the music videos are exclusive to TIDAL, Jay-Z's premium music streaming service.
