Beyoncé Knowles, a well-known singer, songwriter uses two of her songs: “Freedom” and “Formation” to tell the story of herself. “Freedom” is the beginning of her story where she is searching for freedom and equality showing that there is still much inequality and injustice for African Americans in America today. The song slowly transitions to a more positive tone when she seems to have made something beneficial out of her difficult situation. “Formation,” however, has a completely different tone. While she does address negative situations from the past at the beginning of the song, she quickly transitions to a more positive tone full of pride in where she came from, who she has become, and what she has overcome. Together, the two songs …show more content…
At the very end of the song “Freedom”, Hattie White says “I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade” Proclaiming once again that even though life is difficult, she has the strength to make it into something better than it was before. She pulls herself up and finds freedom, she did not rely on someone else to bring her freedom but has the perseverance, determination, and strength to make her life into something better. Beyoncé uses “Formation” as a continuation of the story in “Freedom” by making a statement about working hard to obtain what she wants and pride in her roots, particularly her southern black heritage. She alludes to how far she has come when she says she rocks her Givenchy dress (citation). Here, she is calling attention to how far she has come and the fortune she has earned by referencing her Givenchy dresses, a luxury brand only someone well off can afford. However, she did not forget where she came from and references her heritage in the second verse when she says “My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana” She is
Beyonce Knowles, daughter of Tina and Mathew Knowles, was born on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas. As a child she was a shy child her parents put her in a dance class to try and get her to not be as shy. She did love to dance so she didn’t really mind. The dance teacher then heard her sing and she convinced Beyonce to go into the talent show, and she won. Ever since then she loved singing. She grew up around it because her parents would always have music playing. From then on she continued to do what she loved and that was singing. By her thirtieth birthday she was known internationally for being a famous singer, songwriter, and an actor. Therefore, Beyonce Knowles is a significant person because she was the lead vocalist of the R&B group Destiny’s Child, being a top selling artist with sold out tours, and she followed her dreams of being known as an actor and singer.
Beyonce, since infancy, has meticulously engineered her moniker to be adjacent to, in her respect, diety-like royalty. Seemingly injected with an air of sophistication since birth, many people are simply fascinated by the duality of her ipseity; she is aesthetically attractive and an activist for the women empowerment movement--more so evocative through her art rather than through her "off camera" life. But Beyonce possesses a rare magic every artist of color wishes they had which is her race is rarely a factor in people's decision to listen to her or not. In fact, not so long ago I found myself at a gathering with friends and a Beyonce song came on. Of course, commentary buzzed around the room, and I heard something that stuck out to me--someone said they forgot she was "black."
For nearly twenty years, Beyoncé has lived her life in the public eye yet she has always kept her cool, been submissive, and rather quiet when it came to her personal endeavors however after releasing the film “Lemonade”, we are able to see her in a vulnerable light. In Jeremy Helliger’s article: “Dear Beyhive: Stop Whining. Beyoncé Still Hasn’t Earned Her Album Of The Year Grammy” he addresses the idea that although Beyoncé was able to encourage black women to be proud and free, she also she missed the mark by adding raunchy, over the top content to her vulnerability.
Over the past few years, racial tensions in America have heightened. During this period, Black America undergo the daily struggle of witnessing the killing of unarmed black men and women. Victims of these endless killings and police brutality, turned into one of many hashtags, which led to the formations of the Black Lives Matter movement. Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyoncé, soul singer and songwriter was viewed as the angry black woman. Solange used her platform to speak up. She became the most outspoken black artist for black activism in recent years. She embodies the image of a carefree black girl who is willing to let the world know that she is proud of her blackness.
Beyoncé recently released her music video on Saturday February 6, 2016. Beyoncé 's "Formation" video forms messages in text and visuals that fits today 's social issues. They call attention to the audience mainly for women and Black America. This piece of rhetoric creates meaning in society by giving us events and visuals to help the
Beyonce incorporates race in her lyrics, especially in “Formation.” She utilizes her platform to spread African American love, and to preach on the beautiful aspects of her race. This is evident throughout the whole entire song, but one place it is prominent is in the line “I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros, I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils.” Beyonce has successfully spread affection and love to the Black physical feature stereotypes that are given negative annotations in today’s world. With these specific lyrics she brings empowerment to Black women.
In some context, it’s perceived as appropriate and logical that a pop superstar that possesses the attention and to a powerful caliber takes heed to the current events of the nation to bring a light of understanding and awareness of the mistreatment of minorities in poverty struck communities that Beyoncé illustrates in her “Formation” song and music video. However, personally, being born into a poverty, low income “black” neighborhood, find it rather pretentious that someone in the position Bey is in, to take advantage of the tragedies that may or may not have had little to no effect on herself personally, but was detrimental to others struck by the mistreatment and vicious neglect of the united states’
Beyoncé's purpose for this song is to pay homage to the black south and is intended for ‘black' people in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. “#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted of his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was post-humously placed on trial for his own murder” (Black Lives Matter). In honor of Martin, Beyoncé released the unannounced music video on his birthday which also happens to be Black History Month. People across the country were struck by the death of Martin and are seeking for a political change “Beyoncé's ‘Formation' is a Visual Anthem”. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a response not only in Martin's case, but to the rest of the police killings of unarmed African-American across the country. It is used as a tactic used to strive for
Chapter 10 hope, “Freedom” for what might be the most powerful song on the album, Beyoncé is not only talking about her own liberation but making important commentary about the work that still needs to be done to address the systemic injustices that are still pervasive, particularly in America. Where she may have been subtle or seemed aloof to outsiders in the past, it’s clear Beyoncé has reached a point where she can be unapologetic about how she understands the world as a black woman.
Beyonce is an African American female artist making incorporating empowering messages for women around the world. She is creating work that speaks to an audience that might not receive authentic mainstream. Beyonce ultimate goal is to visually and sonically entice wisdom through her music. Recently in a shocking video release, Beyonce debuted a new song “Formation” as well as a politically charged music video. This song was an uproar in the music industry worldwide. Millions of people around the world negatively viewed this song as a controversy. The music video and song caused many people to debate and cause a worldwide conflict.
A great voice for this generation is Beyoncé Knowles because she is a feminist, she is an activist, she is a great mother and an overall wonderful person. She has worked hard to get where she is at. She actively speaks out on how women should be treated with more respect, how African Americans are mistreated, how being healthy is a big part of life, and how family should come first. But she is also known as not only a musical genius and very charitable, she is also in the movie and fashion industry. She is the daughter of Mathew and Tina Knowles; her father was a sales manager and her mother worked as a salon owner and hairdresser. She also has three siblings, and their names are Solange, Bianca, and Nixon Knowles. Solange being the most recognizable one because of her fame. The start of Beyoncé’s career was Destiny’s Child, an all-girl group that was widely known. She then ventured off to a solo career, which later became the start of one the greatest stardoms in history.
In Lemonade, Beyonce’s latest visual album, Beyonce addresses “urgent themes” including: black identity, Black Lives Matter, marriage infidelity, motherhood, faith, reconciliation, and the lives of black women who are in dire need of respect. In the powerful music video “Freedom,” black women join together to form a formidable visual community. Their unity and strong stances make it known these black women will not tolerate negative stereotypes, police brutality, attacks on a woman’s appearance, or assaults against a woman’s character. Gwen Carr, Sybrina Fulton and Lezley McSpadden, the mothers of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown appear alongside Sierra Leone ballerina Michaela DePrince and model Winnie Harlow, both of whom
The policing of women’s bodies and accessibility to self determination is a common theme throughout the readings (but also in the present day). Women have had the unfortunate experiences of being treated like second class citizens, and it is only worse for women of color. In their Blues lyrics, women of color could express how limited their lives were, how they were affected by their circumstances and how they found their strength. For example Clara Smith sang, “Gonna leave this town, cause my man is so unkind” (CITE), is an example of women recognizing their strength and independence. Using lyrics as a means to advocate for the progression of women created a sense of unity, because these singers we not just singing their own experiences, but using them as a way to connect and vocalize common circumstances, “we hear the ‘we’ when they say ‘I’” (CITE). Their work, helped to build communities and to call out what happens within them by pushing the
Feb 6 2016 she released a new single Formation along with a music video. A lot of you may know Beyoncé’s famous hits such as bootylicous and single ladies, you also may know that formation received a lot of negative feedback. See we like Beyoncé when she’s singing drunk in love or bootylicious because she’s sassy, sexual and is a stereotyped of what we want black women to be. We saw a different side to Beyoncé; we saw her standing against police brutality in her formation video and many of us didn’t like
Included in her album Lemonade, Beyoncé has a song entitled, “Freedom”, which explains how African American women have overcome so many obstacles in the past, only to still face discrepancies in society today. Going all the way back to slavery, Beyoncé still compares that time frame to the times we are living in now. Not with physical beatings, but with mental and emotional trauma that women experience today have held us in a place of bondage. She also alludes to the “Black Lives Matter” movement in her song to bring awareness to the issue of police brutality. Kendrick Lamar is featured in this song, in his verse shedding light on