Beyoncé.
The music legend and icon is back at it again with her newest album “Lemonade,” an exploration of anger, fear, lust, heartbreak and, ultimately, what it means to love. She released it a day after an hour-long music video compilation of all of her songs aired on HBO.
The music video was only available from April 22 to 24 on HBO. It is a piece of art in its own right, a personal journey Beyoncé is sharing with the world. The video features striking choreography, costumes and scenery, as well as home videos and other footage. Beyoncé’s songs are punctuated by the poetry of Warsan Shire, a Somali-British writer, recited by Beyoncé herself. Warsan’s poetry lends even more perspective to the album video, offering musings on what it is like to be a black woman in the world.
“Lemonade” is a work of maturity. The album not only shows that Beyoncé has what it takes to head collaborations with diverse artists but also that she is capable of confronting her own problems. Beyoncé reaffirms what we all know: she is a badass. With her lyrics, “You ain’t married to an average bitch, boy,” she tells us all how it is. Rather than focusing on the hurt and strife she’s suffered in her relationship with Jay-Z, she shows she is a woman sure enough of herself to fix things.
The music video movie begins in darkness with lyrics about betrayal and love. There are many obvious jabs at her husband Jay-Z and his cheating ways. Beyoncé talks about the other women who Jay-Z seemed to want more than her, inserting a great collaboration with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and their song “Maps” with the words “they don’t love you like I love you.”
The video for the “Lemonade” song shows footage of herself, grandmother, father, husband and daughter. All of this imagery speaks to the change that has occurred in Beyoncé’s life on an immensely personal level. The video ends on a positive note as she discusses forgiveness and resurrection. Both words pop up on the screen during the last few seconds of the project. The video showed couples in love and Jay-Z and herself at their daughter’s birthday party.
“Lemonade” not only continues to prove that Beyoncé is the hottest in the point, but also touches on what it means to be a woman in today’s world. One has to applaud Beyoncé for her creativity, her drive and her dedication.
@Unchained116