Super Bowl Stereotypes

The show presented itself in a very women empowering way. She spoke with wisdom and honesty telling the truth about what women in our county go through on a day-to-day basis. Beyoncé spoke about the double standards that women face and the despicable way some men treat women. She sent out a message that all women in today’s society need to hear. “At the end of the day, it is not about equal rights, it is how we think. We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead,” ~ Beyoncé Knowles.

African American music artists tend to have to use their work to voice some of the struggles their heritage has faced in the past. Artists like Beyoncé and J. Cole have been known to release songs that evoke much emotion. Beyoncé in particular released a highly controversial music video for her song “Formation” the day before she was set to perform at the Super Bowl 50. "Formation" is a bold, five-minute video that displays a glimpse of some important events in African American history, but also consists of elements of Beyoncé’s personal life. Beyoncé uses controversial lyrics to verbally represent who she is and visual imagery to illustrate a higher social message.

All, of the dancers in this music video are African-American, and it is very clear. None of their hair is straightened, they are all in Black Panther-esque outfits, and they are “unapologetically black.” The concept of this video is head-on addressing systemic racism. An obvious example is the dancers but there are also many more. For one, the opening scene, as referenced earlier, includes Beyoncé herself standing on a police car flooded in water while a clip saying “What happened in the New Orleans?” plays in the background. This artist is using her platform to bring attention to the hurricane in New Orleans and how there was little to nothing done by police there. She is calling out the system in this video.

For nearly twenty years, Beyoncé has lived her life in the public eye yet she has always kept her cool, been submissive, and rather quiet when it came to her personal endeavors however after releasing the film “Lemonade”, we are able to see her in a vulnerable light. In Jeremy Helliger’s article: “Dear Beyhive: Stop Whining. Beyoncé Still Hasn’t Earned Her Album Of The Year Grammy” he addresses the idea that although Beyoncé was able to encourage black women to be proud and free, she also she missed the mark by adding raunchy, over the top content to her vulnerability.

Beyoncé recently released her music video on Saturday February 6, 2016. Beyoncé 's "Formation" video forms messages in text and visuals that fits today 's social issues. They call attention to the audience mainly for women and Black America. This piece of rhetoric creates meaning in society by giving us events and visuals to help the

Beyoncé Knowles is an American Singer, Dancer and Actress. She began her career in the R&B Girl group Destiny’s Child as the lead vocalist spanning over 11 years. They released songs such as ‘Say my Name’, ‘Independent woman part 1’ and ‘Lose my Breath’ in 2004 when they returned from their 2-year hiatus; to name just a few of the top 10 hits. Beyoncé went on to become a solo artist and released her debut ‘Dangerously in Love’ in 2003 which stayed at number one for five consecutive weeks. Since then Beyoncé has released five more albums, appeared in the eight movies one of which gave her an Oscar nomination; Dream girls. While being known for her vast accomplishments, Beyoncé has used her craft to highlight the achievements and struggles of the African- American Community.

Over the past few years, racial tensions in America have heightened. During this period, Black America undergo the daily struggle of witnessing the killing of unarmed black men and women. Victims of these endless killings and police brutality, turned into one of many hashtags, which led to the formations of the Black Lives Matter movement. Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyoncé, soul singer and songwriter was viewed as the angry black woman. Solange used her platform to speak up. She became the most outspoken black artist for black activism in recent years. She embodies the image of a carefree black girl who is willing to let the world know that she is proud of her blackness.

Beyoncé’s choice of lyrics in the song “Formation” reflect a cultural reclamation and celebration of being multiple things: an African-American of any sex, a woman of any race, and specifically a black woman. These multiple messages are allowed for by lyrical content that ultimately asks members of all these marginalized groups to “get into formation” in singing an anthem for empowerment. “Formation” begins with a few words from Messy Mya, a YouTube personality who was murdered in 2010 and was known for his overt satire regarding violence against the black community in New Orleans. This sets the stage for the political message the following lyrics portray. “The intersection between hip-hop and politics has empowered a generation of youth to believe that they not only have rights but maybe even an obligation to make a difference in their world” (Alalman, p. 42, 2011). Expressing self-feelings, thoughts or views through music can make a change in the world, which is what Beyoncé does through her music. The actions in the song is further reinforced in the music video, through African American women fighting for respect on the streets, creating a sense of devotion in the audience. Moreover, the artist openly addresses the culture of open social hate towards black features “I like my baby hair with baby hair afro, I like my negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils”, to which she responds by accepting them as special traits to be cherished and not ashamed of. By embracing all these pejorative

Every year the Super Bowl is one of the most watched televised events. 2016 was no different according to Frank Palotta and Brian Stelter of CNN money, with an average of 111.9 million viewers and 115.5 million tuning in for the half time show headlining Coldplay while featuring Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. Beyoncé made her time on a stage count, spreading the message of the black lives matter movement. This was made clear in the iconic Black Panther berets worn by her background dancers, the dancing in an X formation in homage to Malcom X, and in raising a fist in the black power salute. This was met with a flurry of media sources calling out her performance as racist, as well as many defending this controversial performance as empowering. Beyoncé is part of a movement of African Americans that are refusing the label society has placed on them and are creating a new representation for their race.

Well-known American rapper and songwriter, Kendrick Lamar, in his influential performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards while singing "Blacker the Berry" off his 11 time nominated album "To Pimp a Butterfly," recounts issues of racism in society, however, conveys a deeper meaning of hypocrisy towards the end of the song. In this essay, I will be doing a contextual analysis of Kendrick Lamar 's 2016 Grammy performance. I argue the significant meaning throughout Lamar 's performance, then I go outside the event and describe events in the outside world that related or could have perhaps provoked him to decide to perform those particular songs and I’ll conclude by examining how those outside events could potentially alter our perception of the performance and the importance of knowing that information. The message Kendrick is trying to convey are very blunt and explicit throughout the entire song. “Or try to celebrate February like it’s my B-day” (Lamar 2016), shows his use of metaphorical language and imagery to portrays his frustrated attitude towards current racial views in America.

Amy Goodman is a journalist visiting Otterbein’s campus that informs the public through her daily program, Democracy Now. Goodman has told several stories on important topics that release their full potential, over the course of twenty years. I was drawn to the article and video, “Beyonce Wins the SuperBowl”. I personally didn’t watch the Super Bowl, or the halftime show, so I had no prior accuracy of the topic. Immediately, I saw a lot of post, and talk with different opinions over the topic which pulled me into the story even more.

    In the video for her song “Formation”, the scene starts with Beyonce on top of a sinking New Orleans cop car with floodwater from hurricane Katrina. She starts with the lyric “What happened after New Orleans?” which seems to hold a lot of emotional influence. This lyric was voiced by a YouTube sensation, Messy Mya. He was a comedic icon who was shot and killed leaving a baby shower. Beyonce uses this image and lyric to express an emotional response from the tragic destruction caused by hurricane Katrina and the death of a black

There was quite a controversy of Beyonce and her super bowl performance. People thought that her “Formation” performance was promoting violence due to her and her dancers honoring the black panther party. Back then and even now, people compare the black panther party to the KKK. They believe that the black panther party was a terrorist group that performed horrible things like killing and beating people. The only thing beyonce was doing was promoting the #BLACKLIVESMATTER movement. She did it in the only way she knew how and that was through singing. Another performance that was commonly talked about was Kendrick Lamar's Grammy performance. The critics called his performance "powerful" and "shedding light on an internal struggle".

What didn't happen during the Super Bowl halftime show might have been one of the biggest shocker's of the game. The NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, stage was all hers to do and say what she wanted, but Lady Gaga stuck to singing, leaving her political feelings out of it.

On February 15, 2016, Kendrick Lamar took the stage at the 2016 Grammy Awards show. Shackled in chains, he moved lethargically across the stage in a prison uniform. Words began to stream out of his mouth and I imagined the elephant that filled the room as an unapologetically black male made a statement to the world about African American oppression in the United States. Kendrick Lamar’s showcase included an intricate set that addressed social issues such as mass incarceration with song, “The Blacker the Berry”, while keeping hope towards better days with song “Alright”. The elaborate performance on February 15, 2016 would be a performance that will go down in history. An artist used his platform to discuss important issues in the United States to a diverse audience. With so much passion invested into the song, it was almost impossible to pick any other song besides “The Blacker the Berry”, as it discusses a wide range of issues within the United States, especially related to the black body.