Beyoncé Is Back And Unapologetically Black In New Music Video

"Formation" is basically #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackGirlMagic rolled into one powerful music video.
Beyoncé sits on top of a New Orleans police car in her new video, "Formation."
Beyoncé sits on top of a New Orleans police car in her new video, "Formation."
YouTube

It's official: Beyoncé is back, she's "got hot sauce in her bag" and she's as unapologetically black as ever.

Queen B surprised us all on Saturday by dropping "Formation," a new song and accompanying music video -- and, needless to say, both are incredible.

The song, which runs nearly five minutes and was released the night before the singer's scheduled Super Bowl performance, is fierce, funky and freaking phenomenal. But what separates the video from most of her other mainstream work is its messages relating to race, identity and black culture.

In another scene from the video, a young black boy in a black hoodie holds his arms out wide before a line of officers with their hands raised.
In another scene from the video, a young black boy in a black hoodie holds his arms out wide before a line of officers with their hands raised.
YouTube

The video is filled with some pretty powerful imagery, including a sinking New Orleans police car, a young kid in a black hoodie dancing in front of a lineup of cops, and a wall painted with the words "Stop Shooting Us." Oh, and there's a glorious cameo from Beyoncé's daughter, Blue Ivy, who's rocking her natural hair.

Basically, the video is a representation of the best of #BlackGirlMagic, #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackPride.

The video quickly drew praise from singer Solange, Beyoncé's younger sister who has never been one to stay quiet about important issues of race:

And she wasn't the only one. Check out some of the other celebratory tweets that followed:

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