7 Reasons Beyoncé's "Formation" Music Video Is a Powerful Statement During Black History Month
WHEN BEYONCÉ does something, you listen. Not just because her lyrics are infectious and her beats are always catchy, but because if she has something to say, you know it’s going to be important. Her latest music video, for the new single “Formation,” might be one of her most important songs yet. AS IF it wasn’t enough that she was slated to perform at the Super Bowl with Coldplay, there were whispers that the superstar was filming something in New Orleans. Was she gearing up to release new music? It turns out that she was. Beyoncé literally stopped the world again with the release of her powerful new single and video the day before the big game, and in the middle of Mardi Gras weekend. ASIDE FROM the video obviously showing off Bey’s killer moves — because this is a Beyoncé music video, after all — and her adorable daughter, Blue Ivy, the video dives deep into the issues that the black community is currently facing, from police brutality to unrealistic standards of beauty. The timing is perfect, considering it is Black History Month. And if you know Beyoncé, you know that nothing she does is a coincidence. She’s got something to say, and she’s going to make sure you hear her loud and clear. IT IS a literal ode to black culture, and it makes no apologies for that. People who say that they “don’t get” this video or that it’s not “speaking to them” need not apply: it’s not for the entire world to approve of, or even consume. Beyoncé does not need the world’s approval — she has her own. In a time where we have to remind others that black lives do matter, in a time where the parts of our culture that we were previously ridiculed for are currently being appropriated and made into the mainstream by our white counterparts, it’s absolutely refreshing to see Beyoncé stand up in her blackness, unapologetically, and make a statement. SHE HAS created her own lane and is using it to take a stand, while simultaneously SLAYING in every way possible...and here’s how:
1/7She’s going on record to take a stand against police brutality.
Police brutality has been an ongoing discussion in the black community long before it ever reached a national stage. The conversation especially exploded after the fatal shootings of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, and too many other lives lost in recent memory. A number of artists and icons have spoken out against the unfair and racist tactics from (mostly white) police officers, and Beyoncé going on record to devote such a powerful image in her music video wasn’t an unconscious choice. She filled the music video with images that ranged from graffiti that read "Stop Shooting Us," to a wall of SWAT officers...and literally sunk a New Orleans Police Car into a body of water to let everyone know where she stood on the issues at hand.
2/7It may have seemed like the government forgot New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but she hasn’t.
The very first words you hear are none other than “What happened at the New Orleans?” It’s a valid question. The opening images of the video show parts of the city under water, reminiscent of the fatal aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. During the tragedy came controversy, as onlookers believed that New Orleans didn’t receive the attention it deserved because of its mostly black community. (Remember Kanye’s comment that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people?”) Sadly, parts of New Orleans are still uninhabitable, even all these years later. The images work as a silent reminder of that dark time in our nation.
3/7She unapologetically references multiple aspects of black culture...and wants you to remember where they come from.
Black culture has been becoming increasingly popular, and is more often than not appropriated by the mainstream culture that likes to pretend they “discovered” it. (For the record, Miley Cyrus did not invent twerking.) Beyoncé wants you to know that she is not here for your Columbusing. She's been nodding to her Creole heritage ever since the “Deja Vu” video, and her Texas roots have been evident since “No Angel," but "Formation" is a blend of everything and more. The references in the song range from her choice of soul food — “I like cornbread and collard greens, b*tch, best to believe it” — to the livelihood of a black marching band, worshipping in a small, black church, and even the voodoo magic that is still very much a part of Creole culture. Bey has not forgotten her roots: “Earned all this money but they never take the country off me,” she says. She is not in the business of shying away from her blackness to appease anyone, but rather embraces it and everything that comes along with it. And her presence demands that you believe her.
4/7Black children matter.
If it’s wasn’t enough that Blue Ivy is already slaying in music videos at the age of 4, she — along with all of Beyoncé’s dancers — are donning afros. This is not an unconscious choice on Beyoncé’s part. Blue’s hair has long been the topic of unsolicited critique, even though she’s a toddler who shouldn’t be subjected to complete strangers’ scrutiny about her appearance. Blue and the rest of the squad serve as a reminder that natural hair is beautiful. And in case you wondered, Beyoncé says she “like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros.” Any more questions?
5/7She's flipping the script on “Hands up, don’t shoot.”
One of the most powerful scenes in the entire video is that of a small child dancing in a hoodie in front of a line of officers in full combat gear — a scene reminiscent of police officers seen in Ferguson, Missouri, the town where Mike Brown was shot — before they put their hands up and surrender to him. Even in a harmless situation, a black person can still be considered a threat. (The dancer's hoodie is especially poignant, as George Zimmerman’s defense tried to argue that Trayvon Martin’s jacket made him look threatening. It sparked a wave of people posting photos on social media in which they donned hoodies in the 17-year-old’s memory.) But the child in “Formation,” is fearless, talented, and daring in the face of adversity. It’s a statement of how powerful black culture is in a world where it is either emulated or looked down upon...and sometimes, both.
6/7Not only is Beyoncé black, but she’s a black woman.
In a world where things are tough for people of color and women, being a woman of color is an extra hurdle. The singer isn’t going to apologize for either her blackness or her womanhood; instead, she embraces every aspect of her identity. Hair is and has always been a way for black women to bond with each other, express themselves, and make a statement. Bey and her dancers rock multiple hairstyles in the video: she hangs her long, golden braids out of her car window, and women with blue and purple extensions stand defiantly in the beauty supply store . There are some struggles specific to black women, and deciding whether or not to “conform” or “make a statement” with your hair is one of them. Beyoncé offers the final argument in the debate by simply wearing her hair in the way that she chooses to wear it. It’s as simple as that.
(It's also important to note that the line “I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils" is a direct challenge to anyone who has ever called Jay-Z unattractive. Even though a “negro nose” is one that is stereotypically wide and undesired, Beyoncé doesn't care what you think. Neither she nor Jay are changing are in order to appeal to white standards of beauty, and they don't need to. Consider this her way of putting the critics on notice.)
7/7She's proud of what she's accomplished...and is telling her girls to "get in formation" and run the world right alongside her.
She says that “you might just be a black Bill Gates in the making," but doubles back and augments the statement: “I might just be a black Bill Gates in the making, 'cause I slay.” Bey has never been afraid of breaking the glass ceiling and rewriting all of the rules. She may be married to one of the most powerful men in entertainment — and she’ll “rock his Roc necklaces — but she doesn’t need him to dominate in her own right. Whether she’s telling Jay that she’ll “Upgrade U,” dominating on her own or combining forces as one of the most powerful couples today, Beyoncé owns every single thing that makes Bey, Bey: her blackness, her #blackgirlmagic, and her amazing family...and she’s here to remind you that the "best revenge," to her, is her paper. You can’t take her success from her. She’s earned every second of it. And she’s here to slay.
