Beyonce ‘Formation’ Music Video And Style Geared To HBCU Bands?
Beyonce dropped a new song and music video called “Formation.” In the video, Queen Bey showcases her background in HBCU musical enterprise. And just as Beyonce says in her song, she “slays.”
Beyonce and her “Formation” music video are raising questions and starting hype. Interestingly enough, Queen Bey is scheduled to perform at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show, on February 7, says E! Online. Do you think she’ll be performing this song as well? Knowing Bey and given the musical style, she might also have a collegiate group join her on stage.
However, this isn’t confirmed and is only speculation. Overall, Beyonce’s new song sounds like something that’s going to catch the attention of many HBCU bands. Matter of fact, there was a glimpse of a few drum majors within the actual music video.
2016 Honda Battle of the Bands: 63,000+ Witness HBCU Marching Band Excellence https://t.co/1MnYODLKsk pic.twitter.com/OyQvrjmhGG
— HBCU Lifestyle (@HBCU_Lifestyle) January 31, 2016
Even her hook seems geared towards the concept of majorettes. Within the lyrics, Beyonce states as follows.
“Okay, okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation, cause I slay/Okay ladies, now let’s get in formation, cause I slay/Prove to me you got some coordination/Slay trick, or you get eliminated.”
Although — according to Just Jared‘s annotations — Beyonce is possibly referring to the honor and pride black women should have in themselves, one can’t deny that her choreography is similar to that of HBCU marching bands.
Verbatim, Just Jared mentions as follows.
“The Queen Bey is calling for all of her strong, beautiful, black women to unite, and slay. Beyonce seems to have made it a point to display many different shapes and shades of African-American women throughout the entire video to symbolize representation, an issue that has been prevalent within the mainstream industry for decades.”
If you’re interested in viewing the “Formation” music video, you can watch it below.
Beyonce has actually done this with a lot of her music videos. As it seems, the “Queen” likes to stay true to her Southern roots. This is even included in her “Formation” lyrics. They’re as follows.
“My daddy Alabama, Momma Louisiana/You mix that negro with that Creole make a Texas bamma.”
To elaborate, the news source surrendered another annotation — this time, regarding her family’s background.
“Matthew Knowles, Beyonce’s dad, hails from Alabama, with an African-American heritage. Her mother Tina’s ancestry is particularly complex. She is descended from Joseph Broussard, a French-Canadian who led an unsuccessful native uprising against the British in the 18th century. The defeated militia traveled to a new life in Louisiana.”
Aligned with Beyonce’s southern heritage, her “Formation” song showcases her long-standing background in choreography.
Every HBCU band in America will be playing that Beyonce' Formation song. They practicing on that song next week.
— Carlton Berry (@CJBerry15) February 7, 2016
As can be seen from Hip Hop DX‘s report, HBCU Battle of the Bands 2016 happened just days ago. However, as Beyonce hadn’t yet released her song, none of the bands performed the song. Yet, if Beyonce had dropped the track — even days prior — one of the bands would’ve included it into its show performance.
Many of these HBCU bands put their hearts and souls into their crafts. Likewise, their individual members tend to spend hours upon hours outside of practice honing their own accuracy and execution. As was said in Drumline — the movie starring Nick Cannon, which was based on the collegiate lives of HBCU band members — “halftime is game time.”
All in all, Beyonce’s “Formation” is getting ready to be the banner song for a lot of bands across the country. What are your thoughts? Do you think she’ll perform with a band during the Super Bowl halftime show? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
[Image via Instagram]
