By Victor Omondi
This past weekend marked Music Television’s (MTV) 40th anniversary. In celebration of the anniversary, Rolling Stones listed down a hundred of the greatest music videos ever released. Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ topped the list.
The video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, came to many as a surprise, as it was released a few days before its performance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. The video debuted at just the perfect time – during Black History Month – loaded with a powerful message about Black culture.
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The magazine termed Beyoncé as one of the most important artists. “If Beyoncé’s self-titled visual album established her as one of the greatest artists of all time, her surprise-released ‘Formation’ video (and ensuing album Lemonade) marked her as one of the most important,” the magazine wrote.
More into the video, Queen Bey decried the malady of police brutality, referenced Hurricane Katrina, and boasted of her Creole background as well as her country’s roots. She also took pride in her Black skin color.
As it always happens when an artist takes a bold step to decry social injustices, the song and video faced a lot of criticism, as some said she was spreading anti-police messages.
Source: Rolling Stone: Queen Bey’s ‘Formation’ Is The Best Music Video Of All Time
