(Gainesville, Ga.) The infamous Beyonce killed it once again, and her fans are going wild! On this past Saturday, a day before her Super bowl performance, Beyonce released her new song and video entitled “Formation.” With this being her first song in over a year, her fans would probably agree that this was long overdue. She definitely did not hold back! Though her lyrics are geared more towards herself in which she addresses rumors and comments that people have thrown her way, the video however had a different approach. In the video it is clear that today’s social issues and biggest controversies were displayed in a creative way.
The video is set in New Orleans, Louisiana which was the target for Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. This is controversy number one, because many people believe that the government did not handle Hurricane Katrina to the best of their ability. Many of Louisiana’s citizens, who are predominantly black, were either not rescued right away or were not taken well care of. In the beginning of the video, she is shown on top of a sinking police vehicle in what looks like a flooded area. This is a major social issue America is dealing with right now because police officers are no longer seen as protectors, but as enemies since the recent police brutality assualts against black people.
All of Beyonce’s backup dancers have natural afros in the video. This addressed natural hair which has been a big topic of discussion within the black community. A lot of black women have stopped getting relaxers and have began wearing their natural hair including afros, twist outs, dread locks and natural curls. There have been some cases of women who wear their natural hair being frowned upon or discriminated against. These issues have been predominantly within the debate of whether natural hair is professional enough to wear in a work setting.
Lastly, another scene showed a little black boy dancing in front of a line of police officers with the phrase “Don’t hoot please” on a brick wall beside them. This goes back to the recent shootings towards black people by police officers who are not receiving consequences for their actions.
In my opinion, I think this was a great music video. She highlighted numerous social issues that are going on here in America. The video was unique, and sent a powerful message. Although her lyrics did not quite go with the video, I don’t feel like it had to. The video was enough to get the point across. If the video could talk, it would say here are the issues and they need to stop before we sink ourselves into more trouble.
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