Why Men Should Listen to LEMONADE

Guys, don’t be intimidated by the swarm of women tweeting about their love for Beyonce’s new visual album “LEMONADE”, the BeyHive only stings when you’re out of pocket. Instead, embrace the hype and come in with an open mind.

In a world that typically expects male fans of urban music to stick to Drake, Future and their contemporaries, I am asking you to be more curious, to dig into music that you typically don’t. By that I mean give LEMONADE a chance.

To make it easier, here are five reasons you should delve into this masterpiece:

1. On the contrary to what your Twitter timeline has said since Saturday night, this album isn’t a break-up ode to hip hop’s greatest, Jay HOVA. It is a humanizing, culturally-relevant thinkpiece meant to tap into your soul, forcing you to ask questions about what you really value. Whether it’s love or black empowerment, Beyonce carefully weaves her tight-lipped life with our modern trials and tribulations, building art inspired by her marriage and the day-to-day conditions of being black in America.
2. This album is the single most empowering piece of art we have ever seen towards America’s least appreciated demographic: Black women. Yes, the women who have been constantly degraded by society, black women have been battered and tormented by the media, those who are ignorant and worst of all, even black men. Through this underappreciation, black women still show their light, providing the instrumental backbone to black culture. With LEMONADE, Beyonce utilized black women throughout the visual album in such powerful ways. Within the “Sorry” section of the visual album, tennis legend Serena Williams showcased her beauty by unapologetically showing off her voluptuous figure alongside Beyonce while the beginning of the “Freedom” section hosts young multicultural figures such as Zendaya Coleman and Amandla Stenberg in a powerful frame, evoking power through youth. Those two examples serve as just a small sample size to a visual album that promotes empowerment of black women throughout, boasting a plethora of girls with nuanced hair textures and skin tone. By supporting LEMONADE, the appreciation for the strength of our black mothers and sisters grow unconsciously as Queen B guides us through a multitude of emotions, all spewing such raw, powerful energy.
3. Beyonce and her Parkwood Entertainment team curated a master class in execution. From the cinematography to the choreography, this visual album exemplified the value of execution through a multitude of mediums. Visuals, music, aesthetic and more are all precisely blended to present a flawless package. A package that weaves through so many feelings, so many thoughts and so many scars, it would’ve been easy to just give us a video for every song. Instead, Beyonce built a foundation to weave 12 songs together utilizing poetry and vivid sounds to transition from vibe to vibe. Such a consistent backbone allowed the songs and visuals to touch a multitude of ideas while still maintaining B’s mission.
4. The features were bonkers and could basically only be attained by Beyonce. From Jack White and Kendrick Lamar lending their voices to Andre 3000 and Swae Lee from Rae Sremmurd lending their pens, Beyonce maximized these features to accentuate the tempos set by her cadence. These features found their pockets seamlessly, adding nuance that create controlled chaos through the dense lyrical content. This unparalleled collection of features is compelling, rich with complexity and sonically diverse with an array of producers from EDM superstar Diplo to hip hop legend Mike Dean. Remember how well Kanye managed his features in “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”? LEMONADE was executed with similar precision as features were never set for credibility but instead were set to allow the track to morph into a layered offering with new ways of storytelling.
5. It’s time for us to grow up and stop only listening to male figures. Why must we only listen to people of our gender? By allowing yourself to listen to women, your perspective grows, your understanding manifests and you naturally see a new side of musical expression. With this visual album, Beyonce made it easy for your transition. Such high quality content paired with some of your favorite artists, Queen B is inviting you to trash your misconceptions and delve into the world of America’s strongest representatives: Black women.

Though I wrote this, I haven’t always been above ignoring music typically marketed towards women. In fact, this is really my first time listening to a Beyonce album multiples times.

What led me to this transition was the sense of pride evoked by black women all over social media. For once, someone was speaking for them, highlighting their beauty on the main stage. In the visual album, Beyonce is seen with braids and Afro-Centric attire, all promoting such an unheralded image of empowerement.

Seeing this surge of excitement brought joy to my Saturday night, inspiring me to see what the fuss was about. Queen B didn’t dissapoint as I now find myself hooked…

As I grow older, I am learning to break down limitations to my education. By lifting this cap built by marketing, perception and general buffoonery, I’ve immersed myself in the magnum opus of this era’s most influential artist, only to my benefit. In the 60 some hours we’ve had this project, I have learned so much about Beyonce’s vision for our future.

A future in which art is appreciated, ideas are shared and most importantly, black lives matter. Because of her reinforcement of these principles alongside some of the most flawless execution in recent music history, you should do yourself a favor and join me.

At this point, I’ve probably listened to this album about 6 times…