“I like my baby hair with baby hair and afros… I like my Negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils….”
Author: Ashley E.
Often criticized for not speaking out more on issues concerning the black community, Beyoncé spoke out loud and clear a few days ago when she released a politically charged video to her single Formation. And if that wasn’t enough to get the people talking, her performance at the Superbowl Sunday night surely did.
King Bey took over the field during halftime with her dancers following suit adorned in black leather, berets and afros. Being the calculated artist that she is, it’s not surprising that she chose to perform Formation during the year that marked the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther formation.
Her video to Formation is filled with so much imagery and underlying messages that you have to watch it more than once to take in everything and let it marinate. She highlighted Hurricane Katrina, embracing black beauty and culture, police brutality, and the black lives matter movement in a video that was less than 5 minutes. She chose to release the video during Black History month and around the birthday of Trayvon Martin, the black teen that was killed a few years ago at the hands of a police officer.
The opinions about Beyoncé’s performance and video have been mixed. Many people are accusing her of jumping on the “pro black” bandwagon, and others have commended her for choosing to take a stance in pure “King Bey” style.
I am far from a Bey stan but I’m a fan of some of her music and have always admired her work ethic and grind. I love to see how far her dedication and hard work has taken her throughout the years. She is one of the most successful black female entertainers in the world so I respect and admire the fact that she took a stand using a huge platform like the Superbowl where millions were watching to shed light on black issues. Did it make me want to throw my fist in the air and start a revolution? No… but she knows how influential she is and she chose to make a statement in her own way.
Check out the video to Formation here.