Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer

Robert the Hermit, Phillipa of Lancaster, The Black Prince,– just three big names from the 14th century who have never been celebrated in pop. Yes, it’s not a century that has provided many pop-friendly figures; Wat Tyler, leader of the 1381 peasants revolt, leant his name to a wry anarcho punk band, while his priestly sidekick John Ball got his catchphrase, ‘When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then a gentleman?’ scratched into the run out groove of sides C & D of vinyl copies of the Chemical Brothers’ Dig Your Own Hole.

Since that psychedelic big beat milestone, mediaevilists have been wondering, who’s gonna bring the 14th century into pop again?

Will it be Roger Waters, Sting, Damon Albarn or some other Mary Beard-bothering brainiac? Hell no! Medieaval is back, all thanks to Beyoncé . I can’t imagine an announcement bringing me more pleasure. Her last single, Black Parade, put a lyrical spotlight on Mansa Musa, 14th century Emperor of Mali, also known as Lord of the Mines of Wangara, Conqueror of Ghanata and more speculatively, Probably the Richest Man Evah! His pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 involved such massive donations that the price of gold plummeted across the Mediterranean. For ten blingtastic years.

These regal tones bring us to the new track, Already, whose lyrics boast more kings and crowns than all 200 pages of Froissart’s chronicles. The problem though is where to start? Beyoncé is known for being meticulous and an attempt here to match that would need all of those 200 pages. It’s possible to look at Beyoncé from so many angles, so what shall we start with? The credentials of Ghanian rapper of Shatta Wale? or the Marine Serre catsuit she wears in the video? Or Disney letting her convert The Lion King into a celebration of black culture? the biblical shit? or the mind-blowing jerky choreography? Or shall we just wonder whether her hair is sporting a crown-shaped metaphor all of its own? Countless aspects that would nearly all have been out-sourced by Waters, Sting or Albarn, but Beyoncé picks them up and lets you delve into and delight in everything. I suppose she accepts the risk of viewers missing the wood for the trees. One YouTube video review I saw has a commentator ask, ”Hey, is that an Inca design? Or Mayan?” which seemed pretty odd to me when everything is screaming Africa. Another pair of reviewers, Curls & Mike, were forced to post two videos as the first simply saw them joking and bopping their heads to the tune, causing some fans to demand a second view with an acknowledgement of the Bigger Picture. Matching leopard skin dress, coat and Rolls Royce doesn’t stop something serious going on.

On one hand, Already is a jump up dance track with slogans shrouding self-esteem in kingly talk, Be your own king / Make nobody come rule your world.

On the other, it´s part of something wider, promoting Blackness through film, history, art, fashion, dance, hip hop, pop and basically boundless ambition. Surely there hasn’t been an artist since Bob Marley who has done more to connect the African diaspora with Africa itself. The production on Already weaves into that, with the Major Lazer beats giving the tune a global-friendly rhythm, designed for dancefloor domination EVERYWHERE. This is quite a knack, creating a vibe where disco and Disney get united in an urge to push one message. And just like that, we’re already getting sucked back into Beyonce’s meticulous details, and watch while she lets them intertwine in a huge inter-continental mission statement. Mansa Musa should be humbled.

THIS WEEK

Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – Already

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agCgvFTJeRs

11.876.556 views since 31/7

LAST WEEK

Vintage Crop – The North

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mKhvAmWCT4

Avge views – 1,030 per week Blog week - 406

EXTRAS

Payiwee Reaction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYLpAdhJ25o

TFLA Reaction