Most of us met Beyonce as part of Destinys Child. I know I did, and if you didn't well then I just dated myself. I wasn't an obsessive Destinys Child fan (*NSYNC was out at the same time duh) but I was a fan. I knew all the words to all the songs and saw most of their video premieres on TRL (again, dating myself). Beyonce was always the breakout star, and we all knew she would go on to be incredibly successful. I don't think we knew just to what extent she would take her stardom to.
I could go on and on about her success, her singles, her albums and all things Beyonce but I'm just going to jump right into Lemonade, because that's all that really comes to mind when you think of her right now. A lot of people will probably disagree with my opinion of Lemonade, but then again I really disagree with most other peoples opinion of it. Lemonade is really a roller coaster of infidelity, female empowerment, self discovery, anger, and forgiveness. It opens up with Beyonce insinuating that Jay-Z is a dirty cheater who has been coming home at 3am reeking of other women. Then Beyonce runs around smashing everything in town with a baseball bat (who doesn't want to do that??). After that we get crazy gansta Beyonce, then a softer Beyonce, then her and Jay-Z are cuddling on a bed, then WAIT....WHAT? Yeah that's when the mind blowing started.
Look, I've never been the biggest Beyonce fan. I like some of her songs and I think she is a smart talented woman, but do I own all of her albums? No. When I started watching Lemonade my heart sank for her. I was so sad for her and felt for her. Her voice sounded so wounded and hurt that you couldn't help but feel for her. When she started smashing things up and going gangsta I was like "Yeah you get it girl, show that asshole!!" By the time we got to her and Jay-Z snuggling on the bed and him caressing her feet, I was already so emotionally involved that I blurted out "What the fuck?" I was so confused, especially since the rest of the thing is almost a big love fest ending with wedding footage and rolling around on the turf at the Superdome. When it was all said and done I realized that I had just been willingly taken on a ride through one of the biggest marketing ploys I had ever seen. Here's why:
1. I didn't realize it was all a sham right away, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. First of all, why would you go and tell the entire world that your husband cheated on you and then in almost the same sentence say oh well its OK because we are working on it? Could you imagine someone you know making a Facebook post like that?
"I am so sad to be writing this but we wanted everyone to know. Steve cheated on me with God knows how many women, for God knows how long. I'm mad, depressed, angry, and hurt. My world crumbled around me and it all felt like a slap in the face. BUT don't be mad or think anything of it because we worked on it and are going to stay together!" Seriously could you imagine? It makes no sense for a normal person to do it, let a lone a celebrity. Which brings me to my next point.
2. Are you really trying to tell me that one of the most notoriously private couples just decided to tell everyone their deepest darkest secret? There are private celebrity couples, and then there are Jay-Z and Beyonce. They wouldn't even admit they were married for the longest time and we didn't see a picture of it until years later, but yeah they want us to know he cheated.
3. Lets say he did cheat and for whatever reason Jay-Z agreed to air their dirty laundry. Am I supposed to believe he then agreed to be in the video documentary that chronicles his infidelity? Come on people.
4. Becky? What did he cheat on her in the 90s? I know its not the real name of the supposed side chick but that was the best she could do?
5. Tidal has been struggling. Its doing OK but it sure isn't doing what they thought it would. Kanye's latest album debacle didn't help either. His sales were so poor on Tidal that he had to release it on other platforms. I am aware that Lemonade was probably done sometimes ago, but its no secret that it has improved Tidals subscriptions by a very large margin. Since Lemonade was announced Tidal is now the number one downloaded app.
Those are my reasons for believing the entire thing is a marketing ploy and I don't buy it, literally and figuratively. The fact that both her and Jay-Z have been radio silent regarding it proves they pulled it all off without a hitch. Everyone is talking about it, Tidal subscriptions are surging, and they are laughing all the way to the bank. They will come out eventually and say how it was all fiction, and how the story "wasn't about them" and then everyone will feel exactly the way I do right now...duped. However, is it her fault? Nope. She knows her audience and her NON audience. She just might be the smartest artist I have ever seen, and I give credit where credit is due. Like I said, I have never been a huge fan, yet I had to watch it, listen to it, and friggen write about it.
Beyonce-1 Brittany-0
