Conversation 2 – Language OV

The song Formation delivers messages about Beyonce’s familial history living in Louisiana, as well as black female empowerment and pride. The director of the video, Melina Matsoukas wanted to evoke emotion in the viewer by bringing life to Beyonce’s lyrics. We see Matsoukas showcasing Beyonce’s political standpoint on police brutality when she is sitting on top of a police car that is sinking in the remains of Hurricane Katrina, as well as a young boy wearing a black hoodie dancing in front of a line of police. The cops put their hands up when he finishes dancing, and the next shot shows graffiti “Stop killing us”. The lyric “Prove to me you got some coordination” is a euphemism in support of black people coming together to protect one another in a world that is constantly working against them. Beyonce also makes a sarcastic hyperbole when she states “I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making” – Which showcases her wealth and authority as a black woman in opposition to a white male in power. I first watched Lemonade when it came out with my mother. We downloaded the entire album and the film on iTunes before Apple Music came to be. When I was younger, I was obsessed with this album but unfortunately did not translate this song in its entirety. Now that I’ve watched it a few times over while digging deeper into the lyrics and video contrast, I see that this was so much more than an anthem solely dedicated to feminism, but focuses mainly on black pride and power. This video was highly controversial due to the visuals Matsoukas delivered. She and Beyonce were met with backlash alluding to the fact that she is anti-police and that she was profiting off of Hurricane Katrina’s tragedy as well as the oppression black people in America face. This was obviously not Beyonce’s intention when creating this visual album- and was met with high appraise from her fans and industry critics.