“Lemonade”: A heated punch of intimacy and politics

princess abumere

April 28, 2016 4:54 PM

“Lemonade’ is filled with emotion - love and pain - it is also confrontational about issues such as race, marital issues and relationships.

Beyoncé in "Lemonade"

If you are looking for the lovey dovey Beyoncé, head in the clouds with her ‘Love on top’ well she’s not here. The singer-songwriter’s fifth album is real, filled with blackness (as in African American culture) and the agony of the female species. Since the singer’s sixth album dropped on April 23, 2016 the social media sphere hasn’t stopped buzzing about it.

Packed with political statements, on her new project Beyoncé switches from being the saint of love to the the saint of women empowerment and an advocate for the black movement. “Lemonade" is filled with emotion - love and pain - it is also confrontational about issues such as race, marital issues and relationships.

“You can taste the dishonesty, It's all over your breath as you pass it off so cavalier”, she sings on the opening track ‘Pray you catch me’, which ushers us into the perception that her marriage and life isn’t so perfect after all. On ‘Sorry’, she lets us know if her man cheats on her she’ll be just as mad as any other woman out there.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to side chicks”, she chants.

On the album she boasts of her heritage and embraces this wholeheartedly encouraging others to do the same.

“I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros. I like my Negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils”, she sings on her trap-hop song ‘Formation’. The visuals for her songs feature a lot of African and African American cultural elements.

The Queen Bey has officially come out as a black activist. This isn’t much of a surprise as she had made this known with ‘Formation’ in February. On her album she samples 'black women in America' snippet from Malcolm X's 1962 speech in Los Angeles.

Beyonce’s album is for everyone still many say they don’t understand it. One thing is obvious, Beyoncé does not conform to music trends and loves to get us talking. The buzz from the Beyhive will not be dying soon. I would advise you to open your eyes and ears because Bey is talking about embracing culture and some of the issues being faced by Black America. On ‘Lemonade’ she is speaking up for the oppressed.

princess abumere