The time has come again for Beyoncé to surprise us not only with a new song, but a music video and Super Bowl performance to sweeten the deal. In under five minutes, Queen Bey hits us with a catchy beat, thought-provoking lyrics and beautifully directed cinematography. At face value, anyone can admire “Formation” based purely on aesthetics and dance-ability, but to take it upon face value is to thoroughly overlook the pro-black activism this “formation” of music and film is about. To fully grasp everything Beyoncé is tackling, I recommend watching it more than twice. But for everything you missed, tackle this.

New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina

Eleven years ago, New Orleans, Louisiana changed forever. Hurricane Katrina swept through, claiming over 1,500 lives, accumulating over $100 billion in damages. The video starts with New Orleans-native Messy Mya asking, “What happened after New Orleans?” If you paid as much attention to the media as I have since Katrina hit, your answer is as hopeless as mine. When it comes down to it, by 2006, no one outside of the affected areas really cared. A historic disaster on U.S. soil, forgotten and ignored by U.S. citizens. Having the entire video filmed in New Orleans, and beginning it and ending it fiercely perched atop a sinking New Orleans police car, Beyoncé provides ample food for thought.

Black Female Empowerment

Beyoncé, being the beautiful, confident, intelligent and powerful black woman she is, is enough to give black women everywhere a figure to look up to. It’s deeper than admiring a wealthy black woman who just might be the next Bill Gates, and it’s deeper than admiring her fame and influence. Beyoncé sings “I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros. I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils” while dancing among a group of all-black female dancers wearing their natural hair. One of the most influential women of color alive today celebrates the features western cultures classify as unattractive. Ever since the ages of slavery, thick, kinky, curly hair was deemed as “bad” hair whereas thin, straight, “good” hair as found on the wives of slave masters, was deemed beautiful. Anytime you see Beyoncé rocking braids or any natural "'do"' you’ll find a sea of people bashing it, calling her hair trashy, defining her worth based on the texture of her hair. B even takes a second to include an inside shot of a wig shop with plenty of straight-haired wigs lining every shelf. Three women wearing candy-colored wigs come into focus before a quick cut to over a dozen of Beyoncé's dancers proudly rocking their natural afros. Black is beautiful. Beyoncé knows it, Blue Ivy knows it, and every black woman who ever doubted herself because her nose was “too big” or her hair was “too kinky” can relish in every ounce of black female empowerment this song has to offer.

"Black Lives Matter" Mention

Beyoncé doesn’t spell it out for us, but this image is anything but subtle. A hooded little boy dances before a line of armed police with the words “stop shooting us” graffitied on a wall. If you ever thought for a moment a superstar like Beyoncé was unconcerned with the Black Lives Matter movement, you stand utterly corrected.

Homage to Black Panthers

Super Bowl Sunday came and passed in the blink of an eye, leaving only the lingering memory of Beyoncé's first live performance of “Formation." Before even opening her mouth to sing, Bey lets us know she is here to make a statement larger than a single video could ever do. Not only is she being watched by an entire stadium full of football fans, she is being watched by millions of Americans at home. Backed by an army of black female dancers dressed in their Black Panther-esque berets and uniforms, Queen B’s message is already clear. Black power is alive and well, and coming to you live on the screen every American has turned on to. While I’m sure the reactions were strong and varied, when it comes down to it, they don’t matter. Beyoncé cannot be silenced, and she is taking full advantage of her influential power to be more pro-black than ever before. “Formation” marks a new era of music for Beyoncé, politically charged and still No. 1. Bravo, Queen Bey, bravo.