And that's been beautiful to see. Hands are held up before we see the words, "Stop shooting us.". In what's become her modus operandi, Beyonce dropped not only a new song, but also a provocative video for "Formation" on Saturday, just ahead of her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show. I think it's a stretch to call Beyonce an activist. There's natural hair and hot-sauce swag and a young black boy dancing in front of police officers. I think that she's someone who is paying attention like anyone her age to what is going on. Especially when we're literally drowning. And if you know Beyoncé, you know that nothing she does is a coincidence. There are several choreographed sequences of "ladies in formation" but one takes place at the bottom of an empty pool. 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. And I think it was really significant that she dropped the video on Trayvon's day. Directed by Melina Matsoukas. Even though a “negro nose” is one that is stereotypically wide and undesired, Beyoncé doesn't care what you think. So it's really amazing to see all of that reflected back to us in a Beyonce video. "It's about a black future [where] we are imagining ourselves having power and magic," she says, "and I think it's beautiful.". What’s left to say about “Formation,” the new music video from Beyoncé and director Melina Masoukas? I mean, she created an anthem, a visual anthem in every way. Formation music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was released with the song. I saw an article that talked about her keeping that identity at the margins, but I feel like it's always been central to who she is — this kind of unapologetic blackness. This song delivers messages about feminism, Creole culture, Beyoncé pride, Black pride, Black power, sexism, LGBT, Hurricane Katrina remembering’s, and Beyoncé intention to dispel the … Do you think it's going to make a difference? The next cut about "Stop shooting us," it's not the black power moment that we got in the late '60s and '70s, which she referenced on the actual Super Bowl day, with the Black Panther beret, but it is absolutely a message that comes straight out of Ferguson: "Hands up, don't shoot.". They understand what a distraction they can be. The opening images of the video show parts of the city under water, reminiscent of the fatal aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This is about them being in a trance, and them having to do what they usually try to make him do, which is put their hands up. Interviewed by Alexis Okeowo for The New Yorker, director Melina Matsoukas dis… This music video has won numerous awards including a Clio award for innovation and creative excellence in a music video at the 2016 awards, and has been nominated in the music video category at the 59th grammy awards. People talk about her not centering it. I think that the image with the boy who's basically conducting a police lineup is magic. What we need out here is organizers. I know you talked about questions over centering her identity as a black woman, but in terms of being an activist — is this anything new, or is this a continuation? Scenes of a police car going under water and riot police holding their hands up recall Hurricane Katrina and the Black Lives Matter movement. She's very much in this world, paying attention to what's happening, and affected by it. © 2021 Condé Nast. She might be her own goddess, might have her own little Orisha power, but she's not an activist. And her presence demands that you believe her. Not only is Beyoncé black, but she’s a black woman. Firstly, we see Beyoncé standing on top of a police car that's surrounded in water up to about halfway. 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. (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. And what about the video itself? 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. In an on-air report for All Things Considered, NPR's Mandalit del Barco highlights reactions to the video, including thoughts from filmmaker and writer dream hampton. And in case you wondered, Beyoncé says she “like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros.” Any more questions? During the tragedy came controversy, as onlookers believed that New Orleans didn’t receive the attention it deserved because of its mostly black community. Some people are talking about the hot sauce in her bag. [Laughs.] It's very important that this film is not only located –- well, I say "film," it feels like ... an Oscar-worthy feature — but it's very important that it's located visually and actually in Louisiana, which, of course ... is the site of this other trauma, and a kind of freedom and resistance also. 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. To revisit this article, select My Account, then View saved stories. 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. 'Formation' music video by Beyoncé. Beyoncé offers the final argument in the debate by simply wearing her hair in the way that she chooses to wear it. Her latest music video, for the new single “Formation,” might be one of her most important songs yet. 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. Needless to say, the Internet responded in kind. What about the image of the little boy in front of the cop, or her on top of the police car? She’s going on record to take a stand against police brutality. Beyoncé uses visual an audio codes to show meaning and these themes rather than using lyrics. I mean, this is a generation that was kind of woke up by the Trayvon Martin killing, in terms of activism, in terms of being kind of nudged out of their post-racial slumber. And in that, she's both centering black women — her formation is one of black women, who are proudly wearing their natural hair, and she makes a circle amongst her daughter and three girls, which is a little bit of magic and conjuring. Teen Vogue covers the latest in celebrity news, politics, fashion, beauty, wellness, lifestyle, and entertainment. Even in a harmless situation, a black person can still be considered a threat. It’s as simple as that. The music video for "Formation" was shot in Los Angeles, California, and it features references to Hurricane Katrina, antebellum and Louisiana Creole culture, police brutality, racism and black pride. Beyonce reigned over the weekend, dropping an epic video Saturday for the new song “Formation,” ahead of a planned appearance at the Super Bowl on Sunday. 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 . 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. It's longstanding trauma. The singer-songwriter has once again stopped the internet and made everyone look. Music, Film, TV and Political News Coverage ... Watch Beyonce’s Surprise New Video ‘Formation’ Day before Super Bowl 50 halftime appearance, singer debuts first new song in … Edited by Jeff Selis. Yes, like the rest of the world! Last modified on Tue 8 Aug 2017 14.51 EDT. WHEN BEYONCÉ does something, you listen. She’s earned every second of it. All rights reserved. In a world where things are tough for people of color and women, being a woman of color is an extra hurdle. Based off the lyrics, the song is all about who Queen Bey is deep down. But this is all value add; this video "Formation" is not a distraction. The images work as a silent reminder of that dark time in our nation. Neither she nor Jay are changing are in order to appeal to white standards of beauty, and they don't need to. And that has very much been an intentional thing that's been happening in this new Black Lives Matter movement. It sparked a wave of people posting photos on social media in which they donned hoodies in the 17-year-old’s memory.) Beyoncé’s new music video Formation (with a parental advisory for explicit lyrics). (For the record, Miley Cyrus did not invent twerking.) From the very outset, there was real messaging that talked about centering queer folks and black women in leadership. So in my mind, what's been happening is there's been this slumber — particularly unfortunately amongst black artists — for a long time, and now they're realizing that they can't not reflect back what their very audience is showing them. Mon 8 Feb 2016 00.05 EST. Transform your existing hi-fi into part of a whole-home wireless music system Stream content to any Formation speaker from an analog device Transform your existing hi-fi … And she’s here to slay. She unapologetically references multiple aspects of black culture...and wants you to remember where they come from. 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. Louisiana is this famous slave port, where so many cultures came together and mixed, but also she references the site of Katrina, where this horrible crime was committed against black people; where its nation didn't show up for us and where this generation is having to learn that its nation continues to not show up for us. This is her generation's movement; she's absolutely a millennial, and she's tuned in to what's happening like we all are. The timing is perfect, considering it is Black History Month. It's a cultural weapon, her hot sauce in her bag. 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: Police brutality has been an ongoing discussion in the black community long before it ever reached a national stage.