The diva successfully mingles art with politics in her latest video featuring, among other things, the black South.
Both critics and fans are appreciative of Beyonce’s Formation as well as her halftime show performance at Super Bowl 50. However, more than her performance, the underlying political message of Beyonce’s Formation video is making a lot of waves.
Former Mayor Rudy Guiliani of New York thinks of it as outrageous. He said he was unable to get it from the artistic perspective. He didn’t agree with the performers political message either. All of the backup dancers were wearing black berets and afros reminder one of the way Black Panthers dressed in the 60s.
Beyonce herself donned a Michael Jackson inspired bandolier of bullets. The famous pop singer had worn same kind of dress during his world tour in the early nineties.
Beyonce’s new video Formation was released just a day before the diva shared the stage with Bruno Mars and Coldplay at Super Bowl.
Its accompanying video – a very provocative one –is set in New Orleans. It features pictures of hurricane Katrina, Mardi Gras and most importantly, the Black South. A young colored boy in a hoodie is seen dancing before a bunch of cops. One can also read the words “Stop shooting us” as hands are held up.
Beyonce’s Formation also features references to the Black Lives Matter movement. The singer is seen on top of a police car that is sinking. There are walls colored with graffiti: Stop Shooting Us.
Some critics of the video are saying that the Super Bowl is about football and it should not have been turned into a platform for attacking policemen.
On the other hand, her supporters insist that the song – and the performance – absolutely belonged to the Super Bowl since it accomplished what the movement always wanted to accomplish.
Another “Black Lives Matter” activist welcomes Beyonce’s Formation and her later performance saying that the artist had reminded Americans that economic justice is a key aspect of the liberty to work.
Despite what the critics say about Beyonce’s formation, the truth is that she has succeeded in taking it a little further by creating a visual anthem in every sense of the word.
The video itself is amazingly beautiful, but what is even more beautiful is that other artists are going to realize that it will cost them nothing if they too chose to put a message in their performance.
Obviously, Beyonce’s Formation was not the only surprise of the day, the dive also announced her 2016 tour after she had performed with Coldplay.
