Rank: 5/5
He better call Becky with the good hair.
As I, Rachel Roy and most of the world try to recover from that line, we are still in awe of the greatness that was Beyoncé’s HBO visual album “Lemonade,” which premiered April 23.
We know that at this point, the queen is in a lane all her own when it comes to album releases. Completely doing away with traditional releases and planning to outdo herself with each album, Beyoncé has followed up her surprise self-titled album with a semi-surprise HBO album-movie.
There isn’t another artist on this planet right now who could pull off this kind of monumental release. Think about it, Beyoncé released an album in film form on HBO. To top this, her next release is going to have to be a full-length IMAX 3D feature.
As for the film itself, if you haven’t seen it, please do. You must get into the most stunning visuals you’ll see in a long time. From Houston to New Orleans, Beyoncé shines in gorgeous outfits in fields, swamps, in cars and sometimes on horseback. “Lemonade” features breathtaking cinematography and art direction, and it flows together as a film seamlessly.
What makes “Lemonade” even better is the fact that the album is fantastic. Beyoncé goes reggae, rock, trap and even country, sometimes blending the genres. Her dabbling in all of these sounds somehow works out, and each track is a vocal exercise only Bey could complete.
The highlights include: “Hold Up,” “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” “Sorry,” “Love Drought,” “6 Inch,” “Freedom,” “All Night,” and well, the whole album really. With the added visuals, this album perfectly shows an honest representation of the female experience.
Dedicated to black womanhood, “Lemonade” is so much more than a pop album. A certain powerful scene in “Lemonade” features the mothers of slain unarmed black children like Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin. This album means something.
If forced to choose a Top 3, “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” “Freedom” and “All Night” are just about the best “Lemonade” has to offer, with an honorable mention for “Hold Up.” Of course, on an album full of genuinely good tracks, everyone will have different favorites. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” features Jack White, and it’s the feature I didn’t know I needed. Beyoncé’s distorted vocals set against Jack White’s shrieking guitar are perfection, as she appears to give her man his “final warning.”
“Freedom” features Kendrick Lamar, and it is probably the most inspiring song on “Lemonade.” I can already hear it being used in Nike ads, and to motivate people to run that extra mile on workout day. Beyoncé’s vocals are tremendous, and as usual, Lamar’s verse is flawless.
As the album’s closer, “All Night” is a beautiful ending to the emotional roller coaster that is “Lemonade.” The scenes being shown during the song in the visual album are of happy couples, interracial, straight, lesbian and gay, and Beyoncé strolling through a picturesque field. Her dreamy vocals are everything, and we get to see baby Blue Ivy Carter, which is always a treat.
As for the music’s content, this is quite possibly the Queen’s most vulnerable, personal body of work yet. She utterly ravages Jay Z and her father, Mathew Knowles. The first half of the album seems to be her airing out Jay Z’s dirty laundry. She sings of him being a liar and a cheater, and in the scene that features “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” she takes off her wedding ring and tosses it. On “Sorry,” she says the now iconic line, “He better call Becky with the good hair.”
The “Becky” in question may be Roy, a fashion designer who is rumored to have hooked up with Jay Z. She is the former wife of Dame Dash, who started Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay Z before the two had a very public falling out.
On the night of the infamous Solange vs. Jay Z Met Gala elevator incident, according to some, Solange apparently had a few unkind words for Roy, who was at the Met Gala hours before she laid the beatdown on Jay Z. Allegedly, Jay had been hanging with Roy and Solange caught wind of it, leading to her attacking him in the elevator. This all may have been the catalyst for “Lemonade.”
Roy may have outed herself as “Becky” on social media by posting a pic on Instagram featuring a reference to her “good hair” in a caption, hours after the premiere of “Lemonade.” You can imagine what her mentions look like.
Also Beyhive, let’s make sure we don’t continue to mistake poor Rachael Ray for Roy. Ray was just trying to show off her sandwich on Instagram, she’s definitely not the “Becky” in question.
A star as big and bright as Beyoncé, not to mention black and a woman, will always be criticized whether fairly or unfairly. Some have critiqued the Queen for her life appearing too “perfect” and “manufactured.” Now, some of those very same people are criticizing her for oversharing and for not leaving Jay Z, as if they are actively involved in her life and know all the details. For some people, she just can’t win.
One thing is for sure, “Lemonade” is the most revealing look into Bey’s life yet. We should be grateful for that instead of trying to find fault with everything.
For her past few albums, it seems Beyoncé is experimenting musically. She isn’t trying to get a hit or smash the charts by going the generic pop route; she’s making the music she wants to make and cementing her legendary status. It’s a breath of fresh air to see this megastar be so experimental with her music and show such vulnerability. And the music is damn good, too. With each album, we’ve seen more and more of Beyoncé, fearless in whatever message she intends to send or emotions she intends to make the listener feel.
Never before has an artist made the release of new music such an event. When Beyoncé releases something, anything, you want to be a part of it. You want to put your two cents in on social media, you want to experience it with the rest of the world.
Whether you love her or not, Beyoncé unites people in a special way. She unites us by giving us moments like these. We’re freaking out and dissecting everything she does and says in each song and video, while she sits back on her throne and watches herself make history, not to mention more money than we can count. If that’s not the definition of a queen, I don’t know what is.
If you weren’t in formation before, you’d better get there.
REVIEW: Beyoncé outdoes herself with ‘Lemonade’
April 25, 2016
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