Exactly one week ago today, Beyonce stopped the world-yet again with the debut of her two hour Netflix documentary Homecoming. Queen Bey decided to unexpectedly drop her self-cur-rated journey that led up to her history making 2018 ‘Coachella’ performance where she became the first African-American Female headliner to get the festival into formation. The festival which held an estimated audience of 100,000 people left the world asking “what can’t she do?” Most viewers expected to see form fitting, bejeweled outfits, top-notched choreographed moves matched with a smile & voice of gold. However, viewers were mostly impacted by how personal and raw the 37 year old entertainer became when she spoke about mom guilt, weight gain & pregnancy complications that led to viewers getting to see her beautiful twins that we learned were unplanned. There was much speculation two years ago when the singer was supposed to headline the festival in 2017 but canceled due to unexplained circumstances. Those circumstances turned out to be healthy boy/girl set of twins. As if it couldn’t get any bigger we watched Destiny’s Child appear right before our eyes as the trio gave us a trip down memory lane and of course we couldn’t keep up. Beyonce, the wife & mother popped out which is something we aren’t normally privileged to see. The documentary also shed some light on the strenuous planning processes that comes along with planning a never before done show of this magnitude. Teaching viewers that costumes changes, camera angles and precise choreography are just some of the details that went into this show topping performance. Here’s some reasons to go home with Beyonce…
- MISS-Education – Beyonce’s message in her performance was very blatant and honest as she utilized her Coachella set to not only pay homage to Black Culture but also the HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) all around the nation. Opening with her own rendition of Lift Every Voice, in conjunction with the bone chilling words of the late Maya Angelou, we knew that this was for every Black person, past, present & future. The singer intricately placed many of her hit songs with an exciting band/dancers as an ode to the ‘Battle of the Bands’. The singer would speak to how she’d always longed for the college, HBCU experience but was busy selling out stadiums and platinum albums with the group Destiny’s Child. It was a great experience to not only see Beyonce the performer but the unrepentant outfits, drills and band to glamorize a century’s worth of Black collegiate history.
- Freakum Dressed – Of course everyone wants to know what Beyonce will do next including what she will wear. Her Carmel brown frame covered in what seems to an urban but rich collegiate but sexy look that simply says BOW DOWN BITCHES! A favorite moment of mine is when the singer realizes a fan in the audience has on her same outfit as she exclaims “how did you do that so fast?… She has on my outfit ya’ll.” Her looks would change at the blink of an eye literally, leaving you wondering as always, how did she do that? I realized that not only did she schedule numerous conference calls and virtual meetings with Olivier Rousteing, designer of the acclaimed fashion house Balmain. Her stylist Marni Senofonte and herself would sit for hours critiquing every single thread of each look to ensure perfection. Perfect it was, as if we could focus on everything happening at once she give us pink hoodies dawned with her BAK letters emulating Beyonce’s very own Beta Alpha Kappa sorority while busting down an 8 count with a voice to die for and a smile.
- Flaws & All – The most heart felt moments of the Homecoming documentary has to be getting a first hand look at Beyonce, the mother. She proudly embraces the fact that she did not know she was pregnant, let alone with twins. We watch as she recalls what it felt like getting back into the grove after having little to no time to bond with her baby girl Rumi and her precious son Sir. There’s a scene where she struggles to get back to the superstar Beyonce but her significant weight gain of almost 80 lbs and new mom guilt stands in the way. Women all around the world could be heard through the pain and sacrifice you felt through singer’s voice as she speaks to not knowing if she could maintain or get through. Finally a moment when someone so seemingly untouchable gets human just like you.
- Pretty Hurts – Of course having not 1 but 2 children will cause you to gain up to 218 lbs according to Beyonce but how do you snap back. The singer talked about having to breast feed in between extensive rehearsals and how she’d never pushed herself in the way that she had begun too. Her diet was intense, as she at an apple and discussed cutting out Carbs, bread, sugars and dairy in order to meet her fitness goal. “I’m hungry,” the singer says as she’s leading a rehearsal that featuring a host of stage hands, a band, dancers and other persons on deck to help. Bey shows us that to be an entertainer who continuously outdoes herself, you must sacrifice and love what you do unconditionally.
- I BEEN On – As a member of the Beehive and a connoisseur of pop music, it’s hard not to know or hear Beyonce. With six studio albums of her own, several sold-out documented stadium tours, Destiny’s Child and their discography along with the most recent Everything is Love joint album with her multi-talented husband/Rapper Jay-Z you’d imagine that two hours is just not enough time to hear or see Bey. You’re wrong, her Coachella set was created to feed the appetite of the most extreme Beehive fan to the she’s just ‘okay’ Beyonce liker. From Formation to Kitty Kat most of the songs performed were re-invented to weave in hints of classics you’d thought she had forgotten about.
- Party – The entire show was a divine celebration of life, love and Beyonce as she sprawled the field in an air-lifted harness singing and smiling as if she does this everyday. The sprinkles of Black History, Poetry & Woman’s Empowerment showed just how elusive Queen Bey can be. Powered by spontaneous views from multiple camera angles with sudden outfit changes, this is truly a movie! The vibe of the documentary is just as enthralling as what it must’ve been like to Bey there. Proving to the world that once again Tina Knowles’ uterus is something that we must be grateful for as it birthed one hell of a talent that we are almost sure we don’t deserve. She is Beyonce!
Vashon Wade 2019
Vashon Wade 