EMontWrites

Disclaimer: Before the “Beyhive” drags, tags, or slays me please know, Beyonce will not retweet you.

In true Bey form, she released a new album titled LEMONADE in an over the top manner like no one has done before. Two days later, social media is still abuzz with memes and tweets.

The album is musically outstanding with female anthems, bass bangers, and lyrical genius but I watched the hour long visual album in its entirety and I felt it was missing so much.

What moved me were those few seconds during the song “Forward.” Moms of Treyvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown appeared holding photos of their sons who died unjust. Such powerful images back to back was enough to bring a tear to your eye. During that scene Beyonce said nothing.

She has the platform to make a REAL eye opening, gut wrenching song about blackness, but she won’t. Instead she releases these songs about her cheating husband, videos peppered with black faces for us to relate to. The infidelity can be a marketing scheme but being black is not. We are not for profit.

To me, the visual album went as follows:

My husband cheated, I’m going to tell the world he’s a no good man for that.

Now I’m going to sing on stage while the moms of slain black men watch me.

I forgive my husband. I’ll show ya’ll never before seen clips of me preggo because I am just like you.

I just can’t take her serious. She wants us to believe she is a real person, a proud black woman. She’s had an all female band when she preforms and now she’s embracing blackness in her music videos and performances. Good for her, but I’m not buying. I’ve been a strong black woman my whole life but I can’t relate to her. I feel like it’s all for show.

The Fader states the song “Forward” illustrates, “ how LEMONADE looks not only at Beyoncés own relationship, but broadly at black womanhood and black legacy in America.” How does her relationship (her freedom from the anger she felt after the infidelity) correlate with what these moms have had to go through? Is it not about them? But about her?

I really just want her to take herself out of the equation for a minute and go all #BlackLivesMatter one time. OK, so you have hot sauce in your bag. That’s all you got? I need a Janelle Monae ‘Hell You Talmbout’ inspired song from Beyonce. That’s how she will become real to me. If you’re going to embrace your blackness now, go all the way and continue to do it.