STOP EVERYTHING: Beyoncé just dropped a new song and video. The day before her much-anticipated Super Bowl halftime show appearance, Queen Bey has released a the video for her song, “Formation.”
According to Complex, the video was shot entirely in New Orleans and the influence of the city is all over, including the legacy of Hurricane Katrina. The song features a sample of New Orleans bounce queen Big Freedia and Beyoncé starts the video sitting on a half-submerged New Orleans police car. Interspersed in the video is a little boy in a hoodie dancing in front of a row of impassive police officers and the words "stop shooting us" spray-painted on a wall.
Beyoncé, like always, has not hesitated to take a stance on social issues. But she’s not all serious — she also goes ahead and calls out those “corny” Illuminati conspiracy theories that started swirling after her last Super Bowl appearance. Maybe Bey's getting ready in advance this time around?
Even better: Beyoncé and Jay Z’s adorable daughter, Blue Ivy, has a cameo in the new video. It seems impossible that she’s already 4 years old, but it’s already clear that has just as much presence as her famous mom.
Bey leans into her Southern heritage for this one, giving us American Horror Story: Coven vibes on top of Creole vibes on top of "got hot sauce in my bag, swag" vibes. As always with a new missive from Beyoncé, it's everything.