Why Beyonce's 'Black Parade' is the New Black Anthem

I don’t think that the people were ready for the new black anthem that Mrs. Beyonce Knowles-Carter dropped on Juneteenth 2020. This is the most Africa-centered, black empowerment song that I’ve heard from a Black American since “Lift every Voice & Sing!” Actually, come to think of it, Lift Every Voice and Sing was not such a stark reminder of the actual history of black people as Black Parade is.

The song, written by James Weldon Johnson was a powerful ode to freedom. When Weldon Johnson wrote Lift Every Voice and Sing in the year 1900, slavery in America had ended only a mere 35 years earlier. It was a song of black unity and a subdued poetic showmanship of pride that black people were just mustering up the courage to reclaim.

Black Parade is a brazen and oh so bold, soul stirring, hip turning, beat-booming, ancestor appreciating, motherland dripping song from the ever so talented Beyonce! Anyone who knows me, knows I go goo goo ga ga for Bey. This song right here is why she is my fave. Beyonce definitely went back to her roots on this one, especially opening the song with a statement like “I’m going back to the south, back where my roots ain’t watered down.” Beyonce knows and admits to “watering herself down” a bit to please the masses and to achieve commercial success. But now that she has it—she’s letting loose. We knew she was beginning to let loose when she told us to get in formation in 2016. in 2019, she released, The Gift, which is one heckuva afro-fusion album; A love letter to Africa as she deemed it.

Now she’s back with a vengeance and telling everyone to join the BLACK PARADE!

I can’t tell you how I felt after listening to this song. The song triggered so many deep feelings: pride (soo extremely proud of my African ancestry), joy, anger (for remembering the issues still at hand and the reparations that black people have yet to receive) and sadness (for the history that black people do not know about themselves and have yet to learn). Black people do not know their history no matter the continent they are living in except for maybe those living in the continent of Africa. I’d imagine they would know a great deal more about their history than afro-heritage people living in other continents. Most black people know the American part of their history, the European part or the Australian part but not the African part. Most of them wouldn’t understand references like “Oshun energy,” “waist beads from Yoruba” or “baby sis reppin Yemaya.”

BUT...Are they to blame when their history has been left out of the textbooks? Can they really be blamed when their teachers and schools have failed to focus on subjects like African history? African history is not a mandated subject within our schools. It’s not until people get to college or university where they find out that they can even take an African history class or major in the subject. It’s actually a resounding and huge despicable shame!

Beyonce said “WE BIRTH KINGS! WE BIRTH TRIBES!” Yessssss!!! Throughout African history there have been countless numbers of African Kings and Queens beginning from pre colonial civilization until the present age. Even though many of the African constitutional monarchies have since been disbanded or or destroyed, it's important to remember them. How can we forget people like King Letsie III, King Amenhotep, King Shakazulu? Queen Masenete, Queen Amina, Queen Hatshepsut? Beyonce named one in Black Parade…”King Mansa Musa!” Now where did the first idea of a monarchy even start? I’ll give you some time to think about that…!

Black Parade is almost like a war song—it is a war song for black people and all the people who want justice for black people and people of color. When you hear Black Parade, you can’t help but want to get in position to fight the invisible war on racial equality and equity. You can’t help but to love yourself as a black individual and to love the melanin that is in your skin. With intricately complex lines like “I can’t forget my history—my history is her story” the depth to the lyrics of Black Parade mirrors the depth of the history of afro heritage citizens of the world.

Beyonce, thank you from a 4 to another 4 …...Cheers to the New Black anthem!

See Full Lyrics below and be sure to listen to the song:

[Intro]

Ah

[Verse 1]

I'm goin' back to the South

I'm goin' back, back, back, back

Where my roots ain't watered down

Growin', growin' like a Baobab tree

Of life on fertile ground, ancestors put me on game

Ankh charm on gold chains, with my Oshun energy, oh

Drip all on me, woo, Ankh or the Dashiki print

Hol' up, don't I smell like such a nag champa incense?

Yeah, pure ice (Ice), ice (Ice), buss down

Uh, flooded (Flooded), flooded (Flooded), on my wrist, out

Ooh, goin' up, goin' up, motherland, motherland drip on me

Ooh, melanin, melanin, my drip is skin deep, like

Ooh, motherland, motherland, motherland, motherland drip on me

Ooh, yeah, I can't forget my history is her-story, yeah

Being black, maybe that's the reason why they always mad

Yeah, they always mad, yeah

Been past 'em, I know that's the reason why they all big mad

And they always have been

[Chorus]

Honey, come around my way, around my hive

Whenever momma says so, momma say

Here I come on my throne, sittin' high

Follow my parade, oh, my parade

Talkin' slick to my folk (My folk), lift that lip like lipo (Lipo)

You hear them swarmin', right? Bees is known to bite

Now here we come on our thrones, sittin' high

Follow my parade, oh, my parade

[Verse 2]

Yeah, yeah, I'm for us, all black

All chrome (Yeah), black-owned (Yeah)

Black tints (Yeah), matte black (Yeah, yeah)

Roll by, my window down, let 'em see who in it

Crack a big smile (Ding)

Go figure, me and Jigga, fifty 'leven children

They like, "Chick, how?"

I charge my crystals in a full moon

You could send them missiles, I'ma send my goons

Baby sister reppin' Yemaya (Yemaya)

Trust me, they gon' need an army (Ah)

Rubber bullets bouncin' off me (Ah)

Made a picket sign off your picket fence (Ah)

Take it as a warning (Ah, ah)

Waist beads from Yoruba (Woo)

Four hunnid billi', Mansa Musa (Woo)

Straw line to the barbeque

Put us any-damn-where, we gon' make it look cute

Pandemic fly on the runway, in my hazmat

Judgin', runnin' through the house to my art, all black

Ancestors on the wall, let the ghosts chit-chat

(Ancestors on the wall, let the ghosts chit-chat)

Hold my hands, we gon' pray together

Lay down, face down in the gravel

Woo, wearin' all attire white to the funeral

Black love, we gon' stay together

Curtis Mayfield on the speaker (Woo)

Lil' Malcolm, Martin mixed with momma Tina (Woo)

Need another march, lemme call Tamika (Woo)

Need peace and reparation for my people (Woo)

Fuck these laid edges, I'ma let it shrivel up (Shrivel up)

Fuck this fade and waves I'ma let it dread all up (Dread all up)

Put your fists up in the air, show black love (Show black love)

Motherland drip on me, motherland, motherland drip on me

[Chorus]

Honey, come around my way, around my hive

Whenever momma says so, momma say

Here I come on my throne, sittin' high

Follow my parade, oh, my parade

Talkin' slick to my folk (My folk), lift that lip like lipo (Lipo)

Hear 'em swarmin', right? (Zz) Bees is known to bite (Zz, zz)

Now here we come on our thrones, sittin' high

Follow my parade, oh, my parade

[Bridge]

We got rhythm (We got rhythm), we got pride (We got pride)

We birth kings (We birth kings), we birth tribes (We birth tribes)

Holy river (Holy river), holy tongue (Holy tongue)

Speak the glory (Speak the glory), feel the love (Feel the love)

Motherland, motherland drip on me, hey, hey, hey

Motherland, motherland drip on me, hey, hey, hey

I can't forget my history, it's her-story

Motherland drip on me, motherland, motherland drip on me

[Chorus]

Honey, come around my way, around my hive (My)

Whenever momma says so (Hey), momma say (Hey, hey)

Here I come on my throne, sittin' high (High)

Follow my parade, oh, my parade (Hey, hey, hey)

Talkin' slick to my folk (My folk), lift that lip like lipo (Lipo)

Hear 'em swarmin', right? (Zz) Bees is known to bite (Zz, zz)

Now here we come on our thrones, sittin' high

Follow my parade, oh, black parade