Beyonce doesn’t simply release albums anymore, she unleashes events.
And so it was this weekend, amid deep mourning for a lost icon, music’s queen dropped “Lemonade,” an arresting display of what technically qualifies as videos and singles, but is better described as a work of art that appeared deeply personal, yet is a bold social and political statement as well.
It contains revenge anthems for scorned wives, a requiem for side chicks, a display of #BlackGirlMagic and support of #BlackLivesMatter, and an ode to forgiveness, all wrapped into an hourlong HBO special Saturday night that would of course land on Tidal, the music streaming service owned by hubby Jay Z, moments after the special ended.
“Are you cheating on me?” Beyonce’s husky voice intones early on. For the first half of “Lemonade,” it seems that Jay Z’s 100th problem was here, and unfixable. While Beyonce has used rumors of infidelity to fuel her music for years, from “Ring the Alarm” to “Jealous,” it seemed as if she was spilling all the tea on her much-scrutinized marriage with “Lemonade.”
On “Hold Up,” an intoxicating song with an island beat, a smiling Beyonce takes “Crazy in Love” to a new level: She smashes a bat on everything around her while reminding her man that other women “don’t love you like I love you.” Later, on “Sorry,” with a twerking Serena Williams by her side, she shows her man the stupidity of his cheating ways and all he’s lost. “Middle fingers up, put ’em hands high, put it in his face, tell him ‘Boy bye.'”