BY TARAH JOHNSON
ist Beyoncé Knowles-Carter unleashed a whole new work of focused brilliance that truly justifies her regal pop status. Deemed Lemonade, her sixth studio visual album is a masterpiece of itself, and emanates a type of power and emotion that takes viewers by storm.
Since Lemonade’s surprise debut on HBO and Tidal, critics and fans alike heap praise on the album, pointing out her level of vulnerability.
Beyoncé, known as being emotionally guarded, pours all of herself into Lemonade, taking the raw and intensely personal plunge into black women’s past, present, and future, as well as into the heart of marital darkness. Startling revelations of rapper and husband Jay-Z’s supposed infidelity come in songs such as “Hold Up,” “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” and “Sandcastles.”
While a huge part of the album channels an intense type of rage the artist feels over her trifling husband, a smaller, more significant part addresses her personal pain surrounding the trauma of American blackness. As she gets more personal, she gets more political, sliding Malcom X’s words of, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman,” early in the film in archival footage.
This album is an artistic masterpiece coming from a black woman, starring black woman activists (such as Zendaya Coleman and Amandla Stenberg), and targeting the experiences of black women, most importantly, especially those of Beyoncé and Blue Ivy.
Lemonade is fiery, insurgent, fiercely proud and sharply focused on its dissatisfaction with her husband’s alleged infidelity, perceived sexism and racism.
Through heart-wrenching tracks such as “All Night” and “Freedom,” Lemonade proves a truly visionary work and elevates Beyoncé to her finest hour.
