Beyoncé: Black Icon or Tool of Imperialism?
By: Lyza Lawal
Beyoncé wears many hats, including “billionaire” and “black revolutionary.” Can the two be worn on the same head? Beyoncé has been the centre of discourse surrounding her imagery and proximity to systems of oppression. With the recent Cowboy Carter album and Buffalo Soldier scandal, is Beyoncé the Revolutionary we think she is or is she utilising this imagery for capitalistic gain?
On March 29, 2024, Beyoncé released her highly anticipated eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, which Pitchfork's Shepard referred to as the powerful and ambitious follow-up to Renaissance. Like Renaissance, Cowboy Carter produced a cacophony of opinions, this time not as positive as the Renaissance album. Many regard it as a tribute to Black culture and country music, but some Country purists accuse Beyoncé of appropriation, suggesting it is not a real country album. Despite the backlash and negative opinions, Cowboy Carter reflects Beyoncé’s consistent narrative regarding the exclusion of Black culture and people from various subcultures. She did this with Renaissance, emphasising the contributions of Black queer people to ballroom culture and house music. Lemonade focused on various aspects of Black culture, but mainly focused on Black womanhood and institutionalised misogynoir. All these previous albums were loved and often spoken of positively by the general public, with the accusations of her using radical imagery for her benefit being limited to a few corners of the internet. In 2016, after her Lemonade release, Williams critically analysed her work, noting “despite the hype, Beyoncé isn't saying anything radical, she's not the Nina Simone of our generation”. Despite the album sampling Malcom X’s popular quote, “the most disrespected woman in America is the Black woman,” and the appearance of Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin's mother in the “Freedom” music video, bell hooks for the Guardian notes, “Beyoncé's Lemonade is capitalist money-making at its best..its all about the body… it’s purpose is to seduce”.
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While the criticism of Lemonade was present, it did not take the shape of calling mass attention as much as the criticism of the Cowboy Carter album. This album has not been etched into the consciousness of culture in the way Lemonade and Renaissance have. The reason for this is plentiful; however, for this article, I will focus on two focal points.
First, the American flag. The presence of the flag on the album cover and many other visual assets of the album has made many feel uncomfortable. This is not for no reason to be “woke” or hate on Beyoncé. Many expressed that in this current political climate, the rise of xenophobia, and the implementation of Project 2025, many Black Americans have expressed that this flag does not represent anything good or positive. Some have noted that, if anything, it's a dog whistle at a time when many are unlearning their wokeness and realigning themselves with mainstream American culture: oppression and white supremacy. The whistle could indicate that, despite her past denunciation of mainstream American culture, she, too, is American. Diggs, in her Medium article, argues that “this may be ill-timed given America’s assistance of Israel.” She realised “that every holiday, [is] shrouded in patriotism, seeped in imperialism and or racism,” and “that not once has she seen the American flag in a positive and inclusive space.” Though Diggs speaks of her personal experience, it does reflect what many complained about after the album was released. Although I am not American, I can understand the criticism, as I was initially confused by the album cover and the prominent display of the flag. I thought to myself, how can someone who denounced America in previous albums, who had her fist up on a police car at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, utilise Black Panther imagery for her Super Bowl performance, wave the flag so high, and what makes her think her audience would just accept it? Purnell put it best in his Guardian article: “Beyoncé’s display of the American flag raises questions for Black people.” His article reflects many of Digg’s perspectives, referencing Black people experiencing hate crimes and Americans' support of Israel. The article also reinforces hooks' argument about capitalism being the focus. Purnell notes that Levi’s stock jumped by 20% the week after she dropped the brand's name on the album.
(Credit: Levis)
Second, capitalism and imperialism go hand in hand. For example, the enslavement of African Americans was used to further White America’s influence economically and culturally. Thus, for many Black people, how can they trust that she truly cares about representation in country music or that she still maintains the position from her previous albums while waving this flag at this time and making money from Americana imagery? The questions surrounding Beyonce’s intent intensified when she wore a Buffalo Soldier T-shirt at her Paris show, the quote on the shirt described Native Americans as “enemies of the peace”. Buffalo Soldier was a nickname given to members of African American cavalry regiments of the U.S. Army who served in the western United States from 1867 to 1896, mainly fighting Indians on the frontier. The back of the shirt had a lengthy description of the soldiers that included “their antagonists were the enemies of peace, order and settlement: warring Indians, bandits, cattle thieves, murderous gunmen, bootleggers, trespassers, and Mexican revolutionaries.”
(Credit: Reddit)
Both Black and Native American influencers commented on the scandal with one noting that the history of Buffalo Soldiers is complex and very nuanced. Shy (@shym0ney) noted that “the soldiers were used as a tool of western expansion and colonialism,” though many “Black soldiers joined the military to survive white supremacy and economic oppression [and] it was done at the expense of Indigenous sovereignty and lives.” She noted that these units were created to “remove Native Americans of their ancestral lands and force them onto reservations.” The @courthousecourture reinforces Shy's arguments of this being a complicated part of American history, arguing that the five civilised Native Americans sold and owned slaves; thus, both groups have been played by the common oppressor. However, the issue is not that both groups were victims of white supremacy and oppression; the issue is the celebration of this aspect of Black history. @Elixrspace on X argued that “I just don't get wanting to reclaim the history of and being proud of Buffalo soldiers. They helped the U.S kill Indigenous people for land. Black people were prohibited, a lot of time, from even entering.” If Beyoncé aims to reclaim America with her album, does this include the oppressive and colonial aspects of the country? The quote on the back of her shirt and the collaboration with Levi's indicate that she may be aligned with the system only if it benefits and puts her on a pedestal, fueling her capitalist goals. When you compare Beyoncé, who is seen as this Black musical icon, to Nina Simone, a Black musical revolutionary who was not interested in alignment but dis-entaglement (so much so that she was critical of Martin Luther King's non-violent approach), the water becomes clearer. Beyoncé is a Black cultural icon but also a tool of imperialism. She says enough to keep her audience playing the idea of radicalism, but never enough to disrupt the institutional systems that allow her to pursue her capitalistic interests. According to Burke, Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddamn” was “a rallying cry for the fight against racial injustice and was banned in several southern states.” Though Beyoncé has had backlash in the past with her Super Bowl performance and visual messaging in previous albums, she has not suffered financially in the same way Nina Simone has for speaking up against systems of oppression. While Nina is a once-in-a-generation talent and the standard for revolutionary music, it was a different time. Nina existed in a space that allowed her to be Nina Simone. FD Signifier, in his video essay, noted that “Beyonce and her politics [are] reflective of the time we are in and audiences, as it is, don’t allow her to exist as she is. If she played into Nina’s methods, how would that be consumed and received by audiences?” Here, I had to agree with him. As a society, we are not consistent in our unlearning of oppression. We repeat the same mistakes. All the woke/empathetic ways of dealing with racism and privilege have turned into another tool used to bully others, leading to fatigue on all sides and everyone reverting to their 2015 pre-2020 ways of thinking.
In conclusion, two things can be true at the same time: while Beyoncé is a Black cultural icon, she is still a celebrity, and ultimately, her capitalistic goals prevent her from being a revolutionary, and her push to “reclaim America” allows her to be used as a tool of imperialism.
