Freedom - Beyonce ft Kendrick Lamar Song Meaning Lyrics Review

Summary

In this video, Aaron and Max review Beyonce's 'Freedom,' a powerful anthem addressing racial equality and empowerment of black women. They discuss the song's metaphors, likening Beyonce's entry into activism to a storm, and the call for unity against racial oppression. The review also features Kendrick Lamar's verse, tackling police brutality and racial fears. The hosts encourage Christian viewers to engage in discussions about racial tensions, advocating for a Christ-like approach to justice and unity.

Takeaways

• 🎤 The video discusses Beyonce's song 'Freedom', which is about racial equality and empowerment for black women.
• 🏆 'Freedom' was acclaimed as a highlight of the BET music awards, showcasing high energy and a powerful performance.
• 🌟 Beyonce is one of the most influential figures globally, with a career spanning over 19 years, over a hundred million records sold, and 20 Grammy awards.
• 📣 The song uses metaphors like storm and thunder to represent racial oppression and calls for freedom and justice.
• 🔵 Beyonce calls for painting the white flag blue to symbolize freedom, liberty, and justice.
• 😢 The lyrics encourage black women to grieve but then turn their pain into passion to fight for the future.
• 📽️ The music video honors the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner, highlighting the struggle against racial injustice.
• 🎶 The song includes a collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, who also addresses police brutality and institutionalized racism.
• 🙏 The reviewer, Aaron, calls for Christians to engage in discussions about racial tensions with a Christ-like demeanor.
• 🤔 The video concludes by encouraging viewers to think critically about pop culture and the messages it conveys.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the song 'Freedom' by Beyonce?

The main theme of 'Freedom' is equality for black women and their empowerment, addressing issues such as racial oppression, justice, and institutionalized racism.

How does the song 'Freedom' use metaphors to convey its message?

The song uses storm and thunder as metaphors for racial oppression and injustice, and a white flag painted blue as a symbol for freedom, liberty, and justice.

What is the significance of Beyonce's admission of guilt in the song 'Freedom'?

Beyonce's admission of guilt signifies her acknowledgment of not being more vocal about racial tensions in America and her recent entry as a freedom fighter in the modern-day arena of racial oppression and inequality.

How does the song 'Freedom' empower black women?

The song empowers black women by allowing them to grieve and cry but then encourages them to turn their pain into passion and fire to fight for the future of African-Americans.

What role do the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner play in the 'Freedom' music video?

In the music video, the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner are highlighted, symbolizing the struggles and losses of black families due to racial tensions and violence.

How does Kendrick Lamar's verse in 'Freedom' address racial issues?

Kendrick Lamar's verse addresses racial issues by discussing police brutality, institutionalized racism, and the fears and struggles of African-American men, using a countdown method to express his experiences and critics' misconceptions.

What is the reviewer's perspective on the role of the church in racial tensions?

The reviewer believes that the church has been shy, scared, and silent about racial tensions in America, and that Christians should be outraged at all forms of injustice, entering the arena with a Christ-like demeanor.

Why does the reviewer think the song 'Freedom' is important in mainstream media?

The reviewer thinks 'Freedom' is important because it empowers people, gives them hope, and highlights the struggles of black individuals without attacking any particular group.

What is the reviewer's opinion on the church's involvement in racial reconciliation?

The reviewer opines that while the church has historically led the way for racial reconciliation and progress, it has been absent in recent times, and it is needed to bring Christ's voice and presence into the moral arenas of life.

What does the reviewer suggest the church should do regarding racial tensions?

The reviewer suggests that the church should enter the arena of racial tensions with a biblical worldview, not to force others to their will, but to lay down their lives, opinions, and sense of justice for the other side, as Christ did.

What is the reviewer's final call to action for viewers of the video?

The reviewer encourages viewers to leave comments to create discussion about the topic of race, and to think critically about what they listen to, asking themselves what the radio is saying.

Outlines

00:00

🎤 Review of 'Freedom' by Beyoncé

The paragraph introduces a video review of the song 'Freedom' by Beyoncé, which is part of her album 'Lemonade'. The reviewer, Aaron, expresses excitement and acknowledges that the song's themes of racial equality and empowerment might be controversial. 'Freedom' is noted for its high-energy performance at the BET music awards and its relevance to current racial tensions. The song features a collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, and the lyrics are analyzed for their metaphorical references to racial oppression and calls for justice. The video also pays tribute to the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner, emphasizing the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality.

05:00

🙏 The Church's Role in Racial Tensions

In this paragraph, the focus shifts to the role of the Christian church in addressing racial tensions. The reviewer criticizes the church for being silent on the issue and calls for a more active and Christ-like approach to racial justice. The paragraph discusses the importance of Christianity in promoting unity, forgiveness, and peace. It contrasts the church's historical leadership in racial reconciliation with its current perceived absence. The reviewer appreciates the song for highlighting the struggles of black individuals without targeting any specific group and encourages viewers to engage in discussion about race and the church's role in society.

Keywords

💡Freedom

Freedom in the context of the video refers to the pursuit of equality and justice for black women. It is the central theme of Beyonce's song 'Freedom,' which is discussed in the video. The song uses the metaphor of a storm to symbolize racial oppression and calls for Beyonce's fans, known as the BeyHive, to rally for freedom and justice. The video also highlights the struggle for freedom by mentioning the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner.

💡Beyonce

Beyonce, referred to as 'Queen Bey,' is a central figure in the video. She is an influential artist with a career spanning over 19 years and numerous awards. The video discusses her song 'Freedom' from the album 'Lemonade,' which addresses racial tensions and the empowerment of black women. Beyonce's admission of guilt for not being more vocal about racial tensions is highlighted, showing her growth into a freedom fighter.

💡Equality

Equality is a key concept in the video, particularly in relation to black women. The song 'Freedom' is described as an anthem for racial equality and empowerment. The video suggests that black women are often overlooked in mainstream discussions of racial tensions, despite being at the forefront of these struggles. The song's call for equality is seen as a rallying cry for African-American women.

💡Empowerment

Empowerment is discussed in terms of black women's rights and their ability to rise above oppression. The video emphasizes Beyonce's role in empowering black women through her music, particularly in 'Freedom,' where she encourages them to turn pain into passion and fight for a better future. The video also mentions the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, illustrating empowerment in action.

💡Racial Oppression

Racial oppression is a significant theme in the video, discussed in the context of the struggles faced by black women in America. The video uses the metaphor of a storm to represent racial oppression and the song 'Freedom' as a declaration against it. The video also discusses how mainstream media often overlooks the struggles of black women, despite their significant role in the fight against racial oppression.

💡Injustice

Injustice is a recurring theme in the video, particularly in the context of racial tensions and the systemic issues faced by black women. The video discusses how Beyonce's song 'Freedom' addresses these injustices and calls for action. The term is also used to critique the lack of coverage and attention given to black women's struggles in mainstream media.

💡Institutionalized Racism

Institutionalized racism is mentioned in the video as a systemic issue that perpetuates racial inequality. The video discusses how the song 'Freedom' addresses this form of racism and calls for a fight against it. The video also touches on how figures like Kendrick Lamar use their art to shed light on institutionalized racism and its impact on the African-American community.

💡BeyHive

The BeyHive refers to Beyonce's die-hard fans who are mentioned in the video as a force for rallying around the cause of freedom and justice. The video suggests that Beyonce is calling on her fans to join her in the fight against racial oppression and inequality, using the metaphor of painting white flags blue to symbolize their commitment to the cause.

💡Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is mentioned as a significant collaborator with Beyonce on the song 'Freedom.' The video discusses his verse in the song, which addresses police brutality and institutionalized racism. Lamar's use of a countdown method in his verse is highlighted as a unique artistic choice that reflects his personal experiences and the broader struggles of African-American men.

💡Christian Perspective

The Christian perspective is a key aspect of the video, as the reviewer discusses the song 'Freedom' from a Christian viewpoint. The video suggests that Christians should be vocal about racial tensions and injustice, using their faith to promote unity and peace. The reviewer calls for Christians to enter the arena of racial discussions with a Christ-like demeanor, reflecting the values of love, forgiveness, and mercy.

💡Cultural Relevance

Cultural relevance is discussed in the video in terms of how pop culture, particularly music, reflects and influences societal issues. The video uses Beyonce's 'Freedom' as an example of how pop culture can address and raise awareness about racial tensions and the struggle for equality. It also discusses the role of the church in cultural discussions and the importance of staying relevant in conversations about racial justice.

Highlights

Review of Beyonce's song 'Freedom' discussing themes of racial equality and empowerment.

Beyonce's 'Freedom' is not on the Billboard Top 100 but has been acclaimed as a highlight of the BET music awards.

The song 'Freedom' is part of the album 'Lemonade' which peaked at number one on the Billboard Top 200 charts.

Beyonce uses metaphors of storm and thunder to symbolize racial oppression.

Beyonce calls for painting the white flag blue to symbolize freedom, liberty, and justice.

Beyonce admits to being a late entry in the fight against racial oppression.

The song encourages black women to turn pain into passion and fight for the future.

The music video features mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner, highlighting their struggles.

Beyonce references the 19th-century Negro spiritual 'Wade in the Water' to call attention to modern-day injustice.

Kendrick Lamar's verse discusses police brutality and institutionalized racism.

Kendrick Lamar uses a countdown method to express his experiences and critics' misconceptions.

The song is seen as empowering and hopeful without attacking any particular group.

The discussion calls for Christians to engage with racial tensions from a biblical worldview.

Christians are urged to be outraged at all forms of injustice and to live like Christ.

The church is encouraged to enter the arena of racial tensions with a Christ-like demeanor.

The video ends with a call for viewers to engage in discussion about race and share their thoughts.

Transcripts

Max! Sunday's here and today we'll be reviewing freedom by Beyonce and I am so

excited for you excited are you excited yeah we're excited this one's going to get

racy and honestly some of you guys might be offended by some of my views at the

end of this video but we're totally up for discussion in the comment section

below

Sup peeps! My name is Aaron and this is Max and we do Christian reviews on all

things pop culture and today culture meets Christianity in freedom like the

most influential woman in the world meets an angry bee freedom is not on the

billboard top 100 but it should be Beyonce drop to album lemonade in April

and its peak on the billboards top 200 charts at number one and currently sits

at the number four spot for albums the whole album revolves around overcoming

hardships and touches on a variety of different struggles she faces but for

today we're discussing her song "Freedom" which talks about equality for black

women and their empowerment freedom was recently acclaimed as the highlight of

the BET music awards the high energy and power and performance was used as a cry

for racial equality Queen Bey

Beyonce needs no introduction she's probably one of the biggest influences

of the world today with a career spanning over 19 years over a hundred

million records sold in over 60 million with Destiny's Child

she has 20 grammy awards making her the most nominated woman in award show

history

Queen Bey sits at the top and few are more influential than her and the Bey Hive are

her die hard fans that hail her as Queen

let's get into the lyrics freedom touches on many things issues affecting

black women equality justice and institutionalized racism

it's a powerful anthem led by arguably the two most influential black

entertainers today

that's right the first-ever collaboration by queen bee and King

Kendrick tryna rain tryna rain on the Thunder tell the storm I'm knew this

song starts off strong with the introduction

Beyonce use the storm and thunder as metaphors for racial oppression and

injustice and she's saying that she's new declaring her entrance into the

arena where she's talking about racial oppression

this is also an admission of guilt being that she has such a big platform and

such a huge influence that she has yet to use it for her voice in this whole

arena of racial oppression and racial inequality and she admits that she's a

late entry as a freedom fighter in this modern day painting white flags blue

among wartime a white flag signals surrender Queen Bey want to paint the

white flag blue not because it's cuter but because traditionally a blue flag

has been associated with freedom liberty and justice Queen Bey is calling the

BeyHive to rally around her for the fight for freedom

Lord forgive me i've been running running blind in truth this to me is an

admission of guilt by Beyonce that she hasn't been more vocal about the racial

tensions in America and that she has been in fact running away again maybe

because she's had such a big influence and platform that she has refused to use

up until recently

then we head into the pre-course I'm telling these tears go fall away fall

away the last one burned into flames

this is her line for empowering black woman beyonce is allowing women to

grieve and cry and feel pain but then not to dwell on that and instead turn

that into passion and fire and to fight for the future of african-americans also

in the video it highlights the mothers of Trayvon Martin

Michael Brown and Eric garner and they are seated with pictures of their

deceased son's Freedom! Freedom!

I can't move! Freedom cut me loose! Freedom! Freedom! where are you because I

need freedom too! I break chains all by myself

I won't let my freedom rot in hell this is the big rally the big cry that

unites everyone together this is the big anthem and it's a rally for

african-american women to rally around and getting powered and strengthen like

I said african-american women are at the front line of all this racial tension in

America right now but a lot of their struggles are going unnoticed in

mainstream media black women often don't get a lot of coverage by the news

outlets but did you know it was actually three black woman who started the black

lives matter movement

Alicia Garza Opal Tometi many Patrisse Cullors Imma wade, Imma wave through

the waters tell the tide don't move

I love this line has so much frieght behind it and this verse Beyonce

references the 19th century Negro spiritual wade in the water and that's

song references Old Testament Israelites escaping from Egypt escaping from

slavery and wading through the part c and it equates the slavery of the

Israelites the slavery of black people in America and Beyonce is using that

reference now calling for the same attention from modern day and injustice

now if you guys know me you know i love Kendrick Lamar he talked about police

brutality and institutionalized racism and what he does he actually uses a

countdown method to explain his struggles 10 Hail Marys a Hail Mary is a

Catholic prayer for sanity and peace and he's saying that that's what he wants

you want some kind of inner peace channel line tells me I'm moving

backwards

this is a response to his critics on fox channel 9 news and they say that he

actually contributes to a racist America rather than erasing it eight blocks left

and death is around the corner Kendrick is from content which has a severely

high crime rate and that could be around any corner

seven misleading statements about my persona again this is his response to

his critics painting him in a different light in which he intends to be painted

six waving lights in my direction it's a reference to the six lights on the top

of a police car 50 asking me what's in my possession now this has a lot of

weight behind it because 50 as a reference to police officers but also it

could be a reference to his countdown going from 520 he skips for through one

and this could possibly be alluding to the idea that black men's lives are cut

short and cut in the middle and then the rest of his verse he spends time

referencing Malcolm X bar blues

king and to pot but Kendrick vs all about referencing the struggles and

fears of african-american men on a regular basis

all right so all of that is just objective it's what it is what it means

this is where it's going to get controversial and I think some of you

guys are going to disagree with me so I'm very open to comments and discussion

but this is a Christian of you so I feel like we should pull some kind of truth

out of the song

we're called to enter into these arenas with a biblical worldview

but as a church I feel like we have been shy scared and silent about the racial

tensions in America

sure will be a huge voice against abortion and we have a lot to say about

the gays but when it comes to racial tension we become you Christians should

be outraged at all forms of injustice

Christianity is the truth about everything there's a way that guy

created this world and how we're supposed to operate to love to forgive

to show mercy to bring peace to unify people and as a Christian we're supposed

to live like that

live like Christ you know those little bracelets what would Jesus do that's

like how we're supposed to live wwjd it's cheesy but it's true

and we're called to bring Christ voice and presence into the moral arenas of

life but not as an army to force the other side to been to our will but as

Christ did lay down our lives our opinions and our sense of justice for

the other side for the enemy my point is the church has been absent in the arena

of racial tensions and we need to enter it with a christ-like demeanor

the world needs us to enter it because the world needs Christ because

Christianity is the truth about everything

Beyonce might be new to the discussion about race in America but the church is

not we have been here in the church has led the way for racial reconciliation

and progress but it's like the church has been missing since MLK my personal

opinion I love this song

I think it's far better than some

the garbage out there in mainstream media because people think empowers

people and give them hope and more importantly I think it highlights the

struggles of my black brothers without really attacking any particular group

have a lot more to say about this topic on the race and I'd like to hear what

you guys stay so we create some discussion

so leave a comment in the comment section below because I reply to every

single comment thanks a lot for watching I worked really hard to bring you a

Christian perspective on all things pop culture and this video was helpful to

you please like subscribe and share because it might help someone else

everyone in this room probably my youth group and i just want to give you a

quick shout out I make these videos for you guys

all i want to do is help you guys think critically increasingly about what you

guys listen to and remember when you're in the car

ask yourself what this radio studio thanks a lot again for watching my

review of freedom by Beyonce on CXC i'll see you guys next time