The wait is over, BeyHive. On Saturday, April 24, the Queen herself, Beyoncé Knowles Carter released a (surprise) visual album entitled Lemonade. The album followed the release of her HBO special and we can barely contain ourselves. Fans have been in distress for months in anticipation of the release of an album. Lemonade is nothing short of artistic, legendary, and moving…proving the inevitable- Beyoncé is the baddest bitch in the game. Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know thus far.
The TV Special:
At 9 p.m. on Saturday, Beyoncé premiered an hour-long HBO special (#Lemonade). The special combined clips of her album songs mixed with Beyoncé talking in between. The thought-provoking and artistic “mini-movie” can be watched on Xfinity and even features intimate pictures of her husband and daughter.
The drop felt around the world:
Following the release of the HBO special, Bey surprised everyone by dropping her Lemonade album on Tidal. A FREE 30 day trial can be “purchased” here (just don’t forget to cancel your subscription in 30 days if you don’t want to continue your subscription).
The songs:
An epic 12 track song track (see below) contains songs about identify, anger, forgiveness, feminism, and more.
Pray You Catch me
Hold Up
Don’t Hurt Yourself
Sorry
Six Inch
Daddy Lessons
Love Drought
Sandcastles
Forward
Freedom
All Night
Formation
The genres:
While most songs on Lemonade can be classified as R&B, “Freedom” gives us a more rock feel, while “Daddy Lessons” emits a more country vibe. Who knows, we may just see B on the CMA red carpet this year.
The collabs:
Although Beyoncé is more than enough for us, her star-studded album includes collaborations with The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, and James White.
The reaction:
Twitter exploded at approximately 9 p.m. last night and has yet to recover. Celebs are paying their respects to the Queen as well as self-proclaimed members of the BeyHive.
The controversy:
While it can be noted that Cosmo reported 18 lyrics on Bey’s album that allude to Jay’s cheating, it is still unclear if B is speaking from personal experience, or is simply portraying a fictional character. Her reference to “Becky” in her “Sorry” song read, “He only want me when I’m not on there / He better call Becky with the good hair.” Twitter immediately erupted into a frenzy. It is speculated that “Becky” is actually fashion designer Rachel Roy, who has since posted the following instagram.
The lyrics:
While #wokeuplikedis and #flawless were plastered over several Instagram captions, T-shirts, and phone-cases, it only makes sense to imagine that the lyrics in Lemonade will provide major Instagram caption inspiration for the next few months. Here are some of our favorite lines:
The impact:
Nothing Beyoncé does lacks influence or wisdom. That being said, Lemonade can be viewed as a powerful testament to the strength of black women everywhere. As explained by the Huffington Post, Bey’s album addresses Malcomn X, blackness in America, and features black women who have lost men in their lives.
The future:
While it’s hard to tell how Bey will top Lemonade, it can be expected that the next few months will be nothing short of musical bliss and massive success. Her Formation tour kicks off April 27th and wraps this August. This week it was announced that Snapchat enthusiast DJ Khaled will open up for B. In addition, we can expect to see Bey at all the respective music awards within the next year. Until then, fans can sip a cold glass of Lemonade while playing her album on loop, channeling their inner Queen B, and remembering that it’s Beyonce’s world and we’re all just living in it.
What is your reaction to Lemonade? Tweet us @UConnHC!