(CNN)Say hello to Beyonce: the political goddess.
She has been inching toward this transformation since 2011’s album “4”, which despite modest sales felt raw, candid, authentically independent and political; it pushed buttons. With “Lemonade”, the visual album she unveiled on HBO Saturday night, Beyonc has now emerged further unapologetic, in all of her identities.
Who knows what sparked her musical revolution. Could it be the advent of social media and the public craving to know personal details of her life? The flood in New Orleans? The drumbeat of police shootings of people of color? The rise of Black Lives Matter? Motherhood?
“Lemonade,” will make you ask many of these questions with its celebration of poetry, eye-popping imagery and symbolism that connects the dirty south to African folklore. The video is a varied breakthrough on blackness, womanhood and freedom. There is no doubt that it is her most important piece of work to date.
“Lemonade” premiering on HBO is a well thought out marketing strategy that exists in the era of downloadable singles. People thought thematic albums were dead. Beyonc’s proves there is a story to tell. You can’t post this message on Twitter.
What I most admire? Beyonc’s “Lemonade” probably won’t sell like her previous work. The 11-track album isn’t commercial. But if Beyonc never delivers another hit single again, it doesn’t matter. Similar to Prince after “Purple Rain,” she is moving forward. Beyonc will not be restrained by the expectations of her past work. As the journey of “Lemonade” marches on, to quote Queen Bey, “let it be glorious.”
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/25/opinions/beyonce-lemonade-cane/index.html
