This weekend started for me with a bad dose of jetlag and deep sense of loss that the Purple one Prince was gone too soon, so I was in a sort of zombie slump( If that’s a word) and then of course I had been following the chatter that Queen Bey was going to drop her visual/album on HBO on Saturday Night.
I am a closeted Beyonce Fan to be honest but I hate the over hype, her fans who call themselves the Bey Hive are like a swarm of deadly bees on steroids who will sting at anything they perceive is about to attack their queen so I let the wave ride and slept off, I eventually caught the whole movie on Sunday.
First of All my jaws dropped ……..Beyonce did not come to do nothing but snatch wigs, gone were the tiny shorts wearing, booty shaking, platinum haired world class entertainer who had been groomed from 5 years old to be the perfect entertainer (Plastic Doll) , some critics had previously described her as Robotic , clueless in her approach to music, constantly challenging her lyrics, performance outfits and disposition as fake and immature . Instead what I saw in this production was a Black powerful woman that had suddenly realized she had a great platform and was going to use her music to say everything she that had been on the tip of her lips for a few years now…..boy she had a lot to say.
Album Highlights
HoldUp: It’s one of the few radio friendly tracks on this album in my opinion, its catchy reggae beats will be all over the radio countdowns in weeks to come, and seeing Beyonce all fluffy and beautiful in a yellow sun dress but turn around and smash those car windows with a baseball bat lets you know she may hide her fur and go gangster on you at any moment.
Don’t Hurt Yourself : Collaboration with Jack White …Rock lovers would feel a lil bit of this song but it’s the pure lyrics that catch my attention one time she spits ultimatums here “you may lose your wife” and screaming "Who the fuck do you think I am? / You ain't married to some average bitch, boy!"
Sorry: Yass honey this is the track that woke the Hive all the way up, Bey is threatening divorce here and telling her man you can call becky with the good hair…( When a woman knows you are cheating and has the identity of the side chick you should be very afraid) this is Beyonce’s (Boy Bye ) moment.
Daddy Lessons : is hands down my favorite track in this album, it’s a country song with Beyonce wearing different outfits including an African print dress in a lone corridor with just a man playing on a guitar. The Lyrics are honest and for everyone who has followed the infidelity of her father and his alleged ruthless upbringing in ensuring his daughter became the world’s greatest entertainer you believe every word she sings here. “Daddy made a soldier out of me / Daddy made me dance / Daddy held my hand,” and towards the end she alludes to the alleged similarity between her husband and her father with lyrics like. “My daddy warned me about men like you,”
Freedom : In this song Beyonce collaborates with rap great Kendrick Lemar in a song that marks her new foray into feminism and a human rights activist or a Blacklivesmatter activist pick one. The video highlights a lot of cameos but most notable are Sybrina Fulton (Trayvon Martin’s mom), Lesley McSpadden (Michael Brown’s mom), This is a position I truly believe Beyonce is enjoying, to become a voice for Black women and women all over the world, to be a beacon of hope and power to let her music be a voice for the downtrodden.
FORMATION: No words needed here, formation was pure slayage, with Beyonce even urging you on with words like " Slay!..Slay!" its subtle Anti Police sentiments flayed some nerves but as she said at the end the best revenge for haters is to get your paper .
All together this is a solid work of Art, from the African Traditional Imagery that to be honest left me both proud and confused, yes I love being African and I understand an ignorant’s person awe of the African deities but I get uncomfortable when it crosses into reverence. Half of this African Americans don’t know the implication of the spirituality they are toying with but I digress. To the Pure honest Lyrics. This is Beyonce like we have never seen her before, Hurt, Angry, Betrayed, Jealous, In Love, in tune with her Culture, African, Feminist, Mother, Lover and best of all what I have always hoped she would become ARTISTE.
I give the album 4.5 out of 5 stars just because without the Visual element I am not sure a lot of people will get it, but as for me I truly do get you my Virgo mate…I get all of you.
Comments
Post a Comment