In November of 2015, the roommates over at the Shade room were buzzing that Beyonce was in New Orleans filming and it had to be something big. There were reports of her shutting down the streets as well as the Super Dome. When Formation was released this weekend we all found out what “Queen” Bey had been up to.
The world was taken by storm when Beyonce suddenly released her new single “Formation” out of the blue. It is her first new record since 2013 and came just a day before she was scheduled to perform live at Superbowl 50 with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.
The song has been received with mixed reactions and the internet was flooded with memes from the video and song. As one who is not a fan I haven’t heard the song nor watched the video. I confess I didn’t watch the live performance either. When I woke this morning my social media timelines were inundated with pictures of Beyonce’s dancer in Black Panther style costumes. Suddenly I was seeing all these headlines about Formation being some kind of social justice anthem and that Beyonce really cared about Black people.
I found myself wondering if I had been wrong not to at least listen to the song. I knew I had avoided the video because of the imagery on the memes. They disturbed Me, I saw photo after photo of Beyonce surrounded by women where she was almost the lightest things in the whole video. I saw her daughter positioned the same standing in front of two very dark children her age. I saw Beyonce atop a police car as New Orleans flooded, which to me made a mockery of the deaths during hurricane Katrina. I saw a million memes regarding Red Lobster which I didn’t understand but later came to see as pandering directly to Black people and not in a good way. No offense but Beyonce and Jay-Z are NOT eating at Red Lobster and we know it. I wonder what kind of deal she has with Red Lobster that she would promote it in her song AND Red Lobster would follow up with a tweet about “Cheddar Bey Biscuits” Product placement in music has been around for quite some time. I hate being marketed to in my music.
But I said to myself okay, let’s see what the fuss is about. I still couldn’t bring myself to watch the video or listen to the song, however. I did the next best thing, I pulled up the lyrics. I don’t need to hear the tune understand the words. Immediately I was shocked and appalled. I couldn’t fathom for the life of me why this was being called a song about social justice, why people alluded to anything positive from this. Now I will NOT deny there is some beautiful Black historical imagery in the video, I admit 100% that in the VIDEO she uses images that would elicit a feeling of emotion from anyone. The video has imagery such as police in riot gear surrendering to a young black boy, it features the “hands up don’t shoot” theme, there’s a wall painted with “stop shooting us” I can understand how someone who watched the video without listening to the song could think this was something positive.
Once you hear or read the words to the song though how can you sing this song? How can you say this song has anything to do with social justice, black people, equality? This song is offensive and, in my opinion, stupid. It’s another one of her women’s anthems type songs with sex just like half of the songs she’s had on the radio lately. I was reminded of her surfboarding and having stuff on her dress in the limo in that other song as she sings about taking her man to Red Lobster after he “f*cks her good” Really? Is that social justice? She sings about her “Negro” daddy and her “Negro” nose? Calling Black people Negro, so that everyone will walk around singing these lyrics, how is that socially just to me? As a Black woman born in the 80’s I never had to deal with being called Negro, I have been Black my whole life thanks to those who FOUGHT to take the term Negro off me. Now I have to be Negro again because Beyonce says so? What happens when the wrong person calls someone Negro?
The song mentions NOTHING about social injustice or politics, the song mentions NOTHING about unarmed people being shot, or the poisoned children in Flint. It mentions NOTHING about presidential candidates projecting hate speech towards Muslims. So what DID this socially just song talk about? Let’s see….Beyonce being so country she carries hot sauce in her purse, her Givenchy dresses, her getting what she wants, sex with her man, her Negro daddy, drinking liquor straight no chaser, oh yea and buying some Jordans. Think I’m joking? I’m not read them for yourself
[Intro: Messy Mya]
What happened after New Orleans?
Bitch, I’m back by popular demand
[Refrain: Beyonce]
Y’all haters corny with that Illuminati mess
Paparazzi, catch my fly, and my cocky fresh
I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin’)
I’m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces
My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana
You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bamma
I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros
I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils
Earned all this money but they never take the country out me
I got hot sauce in my bag, swag
[Interlude: Messy Mya + Big Freedia]
Oh yeah baby, oh yeah I, ohhhhh, oh yes I like that
I did not come to play with you hoes
I came to slay, bitch
I like cornbreads and collard greens, bitch
Oh yes, you best to believe it
[Refrain: Beyonce]
Y’all haters corny with that Illuminati mess
Paparazzi, catch my fly, and my cocky fresh
I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress (stylin’)
I’m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces
My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana
You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bamma
I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros
I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils
Earned all this money but they never take the country out me
I got hot sauce in my bag, swag
[Chorus: Beyonce]
I see it, I want it
I stunt, yeah, little hornet
I dream it, I work hard
I grind ’til I own it
I twirl on them haters
Albino alligators
El Camino with the seat low
Sippin’ Cuervo with no chaser
Sometimes I go off, I go off
I go hard, I go hard
Get what’s mine, take what’s mine
I’m a star, I’m a star
Cause I slay, slay
I slay, hey, I slay, okay
I slay, okay, all day, okay
I slay, okay, I slay okay
We gon’ slay, slay
Gon’ slay, okay
We slay, okay
I slay, okay
I slay, okay
Okay, okay, I slay, okay
Okay, okay, okay, okay
Okay, okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation, cause I slay
Okay ladies, now let’s get in formation, cause I slay
Prove to me you got some coordination
Slay trick, or you get eliminated
[Verse 1: Beyonce]
When he fuck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster, cause I slay
When he fuck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster, cause I slay
If he hit it right, I might take him on a flight on my chopper,
cause I slay, Drop him off at the mall, let him buy some J’s,
let him shop up, cause I slay
I might get your song played on the radio station, cause I slay
I might get your song played on the radio station, cause I slay
You just might be a black Bill Gates in the making, cause I slay
I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making, cause I slay
[Chorus: Beyonce]
I see it, I want it
I stunt, yeah, little hornet
I dream it, I work hard
I grind ’til I own it
I twirl on them haters
Albino alligators
El Camino with the seat low
Sippin’ Cuervo with no chaser
Sometimes I go off, I go off
I go hard, I go hard
Get what’s mine, take what’s mine
I’m a star, I’m a star
Cause I slay, slay
I slay, hey, I slay, okay
I slay, okay, all day, okay
I slay, okay, I slay okay
We gon’ slay, slay
Gon’ slay, okay
We slay, okay
I slay, okay
I slay, okay
Okay, okay, I slay, okay
Okay, okay, okay, okay
Okay, okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation, cause I slay
Okay ladies, now let’s get in formation, cause I slay
Prove to me you got some coordination
Slay trick, or you get eliminated
[Bridge: Beyonce]
Okay ladies, now let’s get in formation, I slay
Okay ladies, now let’s get in formation
You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation
Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper
[Outro]
Girl I hear some thunder
Golly this is that water boy, oh lord
Beyonce got her fans again, within the span of 3 days she and her husband announced they would donate over 1 million via Tidal to the Black Lies Matters campaign, which they will receive some time later this year. Then she released a video with imagery that would appeal to the Black Lives Matters protesters and supporters with WORDS that appeal to trap queens and people in the club. She also released a whole merchandise line along with it featuring lines from the song and images from the video. The NEXT day she performed LIVE at the Superbowl and announced that she is going on a Formation tour starting April of 2016. This girl just dropped a song, clothing line and announced a tour without spending one penny on promotions. Set herself to rake all your money. Smart and ruthless and most people don’t see it. I do and I’m not impressed at all. I am offended that she would think that we are so stupid as not to see it or to sing along with that song. I am not singing about my Negro nose or my Negro daddy. The nerve…
