That’s the “clean” version of Beyonce’s song Formation, proving that producers can omit the vulgarity and still deliver the art. But what do old white working guys know about billionaire pop singer woes?
The video wallows in anti-cop sentiment, and spotlights neglect and racism in the “formation” of the African American experience in the southern U.S.
Powerful stuff! I’d bet there’s some enlightening historical context to be shared among Beyonce’s young female fans. Queen Bey is a 34-year-old superstar mother in a position to shape young minds.
Let’s sample some of these empowering and insightful lyrics:
[Verse 1: Beyonce]
“When he fuck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster, cause I slay
When he fuck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster, cause I slay
If he hit it right, I might take him on a flight on my chopper, cause I slay
Drop him off at the mall, let him buy some J’s, let him shop up, cause I slay
I might get your song played on the radio station, cause I slay
I might get your song played on the radio station, cause I slay
You just might be a black Bill Gates in the making, cause I slay
I might just be a black Bill Gates in the making, cause I slay”
For starters, Bey, you can’t force anyone to play a song on the radio because it is an FCC violation. And…how are these lyrics anything other than slut shop talk? There’s nothing empowering herein. It’s all just vulgar trash you won’t want your young daughter singing. So don’t sell this garbage as empowerment. It’s just shock talk sold to children by a 34-year-old mother.
Others see it as a Black Empowerment anthem filled with contradictions. But the trash diminishes the message.
Beyonce’s denigration of law enforcement generated strong backlash.
Some feel it’s needless obsession in a post-racial society.
As for response, I defer to Blue Dog in the NPR comment thread:
“But more importantly, she dropped it very intentionally on a weekend that means something to the current movement.” Okay maybe this is about black history month. Or maybe coincidentally this was released after her performance at the Super Bowl. And I don’t get the message she is trying to send. Her video did not project what it would be like if black people were powerful. Actually it portrayed the opposite. She is on a NOLA cop car that is sinking, she is dressed like a prostitute in a house off ill repute, there is a message spray painted on a wall that says “stop shooting us”. She has power, she has an audience, she has money she could really have an impact but she chooses to focus on the paper. Like she doesn’t have enough. What makes her any different than the rest of the 1%?