there are conflicting reports. An anonymous HBO exec described it to USA Today as a "docu-style specal" similar to Life Is But a Dream; another source tells EW it's a "lengthy concept video." if you're without cable, HBO is also offering a free 30-day trial to HBO Now (which will cost $15/month once that's up).

It's time!

I need the distraction.

I'm watching 'cause I need the distraction, and Serena looked great her spot in the video. I like the music so far so that's a plus.

i just noticed it is on tidal hell

Lemonade track list:

[Edited 4/23/16 21:05pm]

I am in love with Dont Hurt Yourself...obvious song about their marriage woah

just watched the visual album. The whole thing is a kind of concept album where 1. J cheats on her, 2. she goes berzerk, 3. thinks about her dad 4. (spoiler) ends up forgiving him.

.

Super arty, super pretentious, very beautiful, and very brave. it's cool to see an artist so confident, she really doesn't seem to give a fuck (about hooks, charts, or whether you like it). It's cool.

.

Lots of beautiful black women, a lot of new orleans, and a lot of white-face going on.

.

most of this websites commentors seem to hate bey with a special passion, and this won't change that. But there's something refreshing and original about it, if you've got an open mind.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the album is already on several major torrent sites.

"Daddy Lessons" is a cool song.

"Don't Hurt Yourself" with Jack White is very un-Beyoncé, but awesome.

"Hold Up" is a cute song, but the visual is ...... you just have to see it.

"Sandcastles" is quite beautiful.

"Freedom" with Kendrick Lamar is pretty fantastic.

"All Night" kind of brings some semi-old school Bey back before the albums closes with "Formation".

Heads up, there's a lot of "bomb ass pussy" talk. I swear one time she compared her vagine to a spice grinder. (There's a lot of narration in between the songs.)

For me, this is an extension of the BEYONCÉ album. It's more musical, it's not just her singing over a dry drum beat (so few of her earlier songs had instrumentation on them). So much of her earlier stuff sounded like a Beatcapella mix on a 12". The greatest parts of BEYONCÉ and this record is that the styles vary greatly, and there is real instrumentation on it. Also, the visuals remind me of BEYONCÉ as well. Very stylized, lots of slow-mo, high fashion, rich color and visuals, SFX too.

It's going to take me some time to absorb this. And frankly, it's a welcomed distraction from the uncontrollable bawling episodes I've been having since Thursday morning.

Just FYI: "Formation" is only an instrutmental for the credit roll at the end of the visual album. The video is not in it, although I wonder if it will be once the album comes out. It's sure to have a Deluxe Edition w/ all this on it. The video definitely fits in with the feel of the whole visual album, being in New Orleans, etc.

The album time on "Formation" is shorter, too. It clocks at 3:26. The video version is Just shy of 5 minutes. The first break with Big Frieda talking about cornbread & collard greens is cut. It goes right from "bag swag" into the chorus "I see it I want it...".

I feel like there's a song missing, when she's in the garage and cussing someone out; and her vocal is really distorted.

[Edited 4/23/16 23:11pm]

TrivialPursuit said:

"Daddy Lessons" is a cool song.

"Don't Hurt Yourself" with Jack White is very un-Beyoncé, but awesome.

"Hold Up" is a cute song, but the visual is ...... you just have to see it.

"Sandcastles" is quite beautiful.

"Freedom" with Kendrick Lamar is pretty fantastic.

"All Night" kind of brings some semi-old school Bey back before the albums closes with "Formation".

Heads up, there's a lot of "bomb ass pussy" talk. I swear one time she compared her vagine to a spice grinder. (There's a lot of narration in between the songs.)

For me, this is an extension of the BEYONCÉ album. It's more musical, it's not just her singing over a dry drum beat (so few of her earlier songs had instrumentation on them). So much of her earlier stuff sounded like a Beatcapella mix on a 12". The greatest parts of BEYONCÉ and this record is that the styles vary greatly, and there is real instrumentation on it. Also, the visuals remind me of BEYONCÉ as well. Very stylized, lots of slow-mo, high fashion, rich color and visuals, SFX too.

It's going to take me some time to absorb this. And frankly, it's a welcomed distraction from the uncontrollable bawling episodes I've been having since Thursday morning.

Just FYI: "Formation" is only an instrutmental for the credit roll at the end of the visual album. The video is not in it, although I wonder if it will be once the album comes out. It's sure to have a Deluxe Edition w/ all this on it. The video definitely fits in with the feel of the whole visual album, being in New Orleans, etc.

The album time on "Formation" is shorter, too. It clocks at 3:26. The video version is Just shy of 5 minutes. The first break with Big Frieda talking about cornbread & collard greens is cut. It goes right from "bag swag" into the chorus "I see it I want it...".

I feel like there's a song missing, when she's in the garage and cussing someone out; and her vocal is really distorted.

[Edited 4/23/16 23:11pm]

Oh hell no to all of that about Formation. I need the Big Freida in it and ALL!!

Never really been a Beyonce fan, and I don't know if I can be bothered to watch the video version (nothing against her just not the type of person to really watch music videos, let alone an album length one) but I must say that I really enjoyed my first listen to the album on Tidal, it does seem like she's really maturing as an artist and making some really cool music and artistic statements, which is nice to see from such a huge superstar.

watched it on youtube yesterday before it got snatched. its WAYYYYYYY TOOO LONG and DRAGS ON in sections... i guess she is gonna try to submit it to the oscars for short form film. :rolls eyes: i would call this beyonce and her many wigs and weaves.

Album of the year. And the first thing I've been able to listen to since Prince passed.

Good for her! I don't think Beyoncé needs to do a video for every song unless she is seriously getting into directing (a la Bjork or even MJ), I am just looking for the CD on Friday May 6.

She did videos for most of B-Day tracks, I think. Of course there was a whole visual album for BEYONCÉ. On one tip, it certainly gives the consumer more for their money. I waited to buy BEYONCÉ because I knew there would be a deluxe edition. 4 disks was perfect.

I agree that it did drag on a bit, but in general, if those are cut down (the segues), and honed in a bit, they'll make for great videos. Some parts are definitely more powerful than others.

Duet with Jack White it sounds good.

Sorry haters, this is an amazing album.

Hoe won't quit releasing these masterpieces, even if she's an overrated celebrity, but her art is unapologetic and quite ahead of all these albums by Rihanna and shit...

BRAVO!

And the only mediocre song in the album is Formation IMO.

I think it is a testament to her artisic abilities that the discussion surrounding
Beyonce is not due to advances made in her music per se, but in the content
of the lyrics.

Who the fuck should care about Beyonce's marriage?

When I get sonically offended by "Formation" because I think it sounds obnoxious... I also have to just realize that it is perhaps ahead of its time, something new I am not used to, and risky for a recording artist of her caliber, and once again I have to throw my hat to her.

And I used to make beats, so even if she collaborated with someone... hell, I would have never played her something that noisy.

duccichucka said:

I think it is a testament to her artisic abilities that the discussion surrounding
Beyonce is not due to advances made in her music per se, but in the content
of the lyrics.

Who the fuck should care about Beyonce's marriage?

Hmm. After second thought, I think I may be underestimating Beyonce's work here,
even though it kinda sucks that there is more scrutiny about her marriage as opposed
to what her intentions are, and what she means by "lemonade."

duccichucka said:

duccichucka said:

I think it is a testament to her artisic abilities that the discussion surrounding
Beyonce is not due to advances made in her music per se, but in the content
of the lyrics.

Who the fuck should care about Beyonce's marriage?

Hmm. After second thought, I think I may be underestimating Beyonce's work here,
even though it kinda sucks that there is more scrutiny about her marriage as opposed
to what her intentions are, and what she means by "lemonade."

I think people are missing that she has decided to admit she was cheated on and the album is her working through not only that slight to her image/empire/womanhood/marriage but also forgiving him (which contrasts so many of her songs) and repairing the marriage rather than kicking him to the curb. This is creative territory Beyonce's lyrics haven't entered before, she's never had songs about a guy doing her wrong then her actually staying with him. There's a lot of explaining to do in that, as well as the vulnerability of admitting she forgave someone who probably slept around.

purplesweat said:

duccichucka said:

Hmm. After second thought, I think I may be underestimating Beyonce's work here,
even though it kinda sucks that there is more scrutiny about her marriage as opposed
to what her intentions are, and what she means by "lemonade."

I think people are missing that she has decided to admit she was cheated on and the album is her working through not only that slight to her image/empire/womanhood/marriage but also forgiving him (which contrasts so many of her songs) and repairing the marriage rather than kicking him to the curb. This is creative territory Beyonce's lyrics haven't entered before, she's never had songs about a guy doing her wrong then her actually staying with him. There's a lot of explaining to do in that, as well as the vulnerability of admitting she forgave someone who probably slept around.

LOL This is completely not true. She has songs like, "Irreplacable" "If I were a boy", and even her last album she singed about her husband cheating on her. So she has pretty much been singing about the same subject matter most of her career. I dont see how that is growth.I don't see how you can call an artist vunerable who needs 6 to 7 songwriters for every single song. Even on this album there is 8 songwriters for one song but yet this is suppose to be her showing vunerability? This is nothing more than a cheap marketing ploy to garner records. I don't see how you can call yourself a feminist but then sing about being okay that your husband cheats on you. She is probably the fakest artist of all time, nothing about her brand makes any sense at all.

mjscarousal said:

purplesweat said:

I think people are missing that she has decided to admit she was cheated on and the album is her working through not only that slight to her image/empire/womanhood/marriage but also forgiving him (which contrasts so many of her songs) and repairing the marriage rather than kicking him to the curb. This is creative territory Beyonce's lyrics haven't entered before, she's never had songs about a guy doing her wrong then her actually staying with him. There's a lot of explaining to do in that, as well as the vulnerability of admitting she forgave someone who probably slept around.

LOL This is completely not true. She has songs like, "Irreplacable" "If I were a boy", and even her last album she singed about her husband cheating on her. So she has pretty much been singing about the same subject matter most of her career. I dont see how that is growth.I don't see how you can call an artist vunerable who needs 6 to 7 songwriters for every single song. Even on this album there is 8 songwriters for one song but yet this is suppose to be her showing vunerability? This is nothing more than a cheap marketing ploy to garner records. I don't see how you can call yourself a feminist but then sing about being okay that your husband cheats on you. She is probably the fakest artist of all time, nothing about her brand makes any sense at all.

Well this is different because she's being specific about her life for once instead of just singing a song that tells a story. She made references to Jay's rise to fame, her miscarriage (mother of your childre living and dead) and related her situation to her father cheating on her mother. I was talking about the issues she addressed in song this time around, usually she portrays this blazing strength, this time she paired that with a sheepish admission of keeping her cheating husband. I can't say I EVER expected that from Beyonce and everything she represents. She did not say she accepted her husband cheating, she FORGAVE him. They have a child remember? It's not so easy to walk away from giving her a solid foundation nor is it easy to move into divorce territory in front of the entire world. They, as celebrity parents, have a lot to think about in terms of keeping their baby safe.

I'm pretty bored with people having such a strict definition of "how to write a song" tbh. Who cares if there's 8 people contributing? Like seriously what difference does it make if there's 8 or 80 as long as Beyonce herself feels it represents whatever she went through. In every other job, people work as a team to get results but if you want to sing about your life, unless you carve the lyrics into your own skin, you're a fake? Please. Beyonce had to cut her own father out of her life to gain any semblance of control over her music. Does that count for nothing? Her own dad! She can't even go in an elevator and have an abusive incident explode in her face without people filming it and showing the world. How dare she try to control her own embarrassing narrative/life on her terms?

Anyway, if you can't listen to songs that, gasp, have more than one writer, why are you in a Beyonce thread? You obviously know she works with other artists so why even come into the thread just to basically tell me to have the same opinion of her work as you? I don't give a shit who wrote the song, I'm too busy listening to it and enjoying it.

[Edited 4/27/16 5:54am]

[Edited 4/27/16 5:55am]

I am in the thread because I am expressing my opinion and the reason why I mentioned the writers is because media outlets are comparing this album to Prince as if she is some prolific genius and Im sorry that is ridiculous especially considering she doesnt write any of the music herself. She is getting labeled as someone who is being vunerable but how so when she has not written any of the music herself? Again it seems like nothing more than a marketing ploy and she has sunged about all these issues before in her music. I agreed with the other poster that she is beyond overrated at this point.

I find it funny how some always fawn over everything little thing Beyonce does. Its actually kind of creepy. Rihanna's album dropped not to long ago and it was a more artistic effort and growth but nobody had nothing say about it.

[Edited 4/27/16 6:00am]

I have to agree with Azealia banks with regards to Beyonce being labeled a feminist:

"Just six months ago you told every black girl in the industry to "bow down" now you want to stick up for black folk lol"

"This heartbroken black female narrative you keep trying to push is the Antithesis of what feminism is."

"You been singing about this n*** for years and he still playing you. That's not strength that's stupidity"

"@AquafarE she's a thief with no ideas of her own. Wanting to speak with absolutely nothing to say."

[Edited 4/27/16 6:39am]