The Queen Has Spoken

Unfortunately, Beyoncé doesn’t seem to have Eugene in her sights and, if looking at the mostly male, mostly white lineups of Eugene’s biggest venues is any indication, they wouldn’t book her anyway. So to see Bey’s Lemonade tour, you’ll have to head north to Seattle.

On the night of April 23, the world was graced by Beyoncé’s Lemonade, her second full-length visual album. And people lost their goddamn minds. The album features 12 tracks paired with a dozen stunning videos. Serena Williams, Zendeya (singer) and Quvenzhané Wallis (actress) make cameo appearances, along with other beautiful, beastly women. 

Bey worked with a team of artists to create a visual story that smashes through the mask of African-American assimilation. The album is a journey through political, social and personal tales geared towards, and made for, black women.

Police brutality is one of several layers highlighted in Bey’s masterpiece. Sybrina Fulton (mother of Trayvon Martin) and Lesley McSpadden (mother of Michael Brown) appear in the song “Forward.” 

Pro-sex worker sentiments were laced (in black-and-white sheer lace, to be exact) in “6 Inch,” a song that supports the intelligent, relentlessly hard-working women who “grind from Monday to Friday” and “work from Friday to Sunday.” 

The most spine-chilling aspects of Lemonade are not the catchy tunes and staring at Bey’s bewildering perfection, but the long overdue, in-depth focus on experiences that are solely unique to black women. 

“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman,” rings the voice of Malcolm X (featured in “Don’t Hurt Yourself). “The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” 

Beyoncé hits Seattle 7:30 pm Wednesday, May 18, at CenturyLink Field.