Bey’s Homecoming: HBCU Culture & Coachella
posted by Law | April 24, 2019 | In OpinionIt’s no secret: Beyonce, Bey, B, Queen Bey has done it again with her Netflix film Homecoming– a behind-the-scenes look at 8 months of music and dance preparation for the 2018 Coachella. And it is nothing short of amazing.
Wonder what’s the price tag on a Beyonce film? Well, Netflix is not sharing those details just yet, and in true Mrs. Carter fashion, her camp is keeping a tight lid on that information as well.
Here’s what we can find. According to Vulture.com: “HBO, which aired Beyonce’s previous documentary film “Life is but a Dream,” was interested, but Netflix stepped in with a ridiculously big money offer, and HBO couldn’t justify matching such a steep price tag.”
We know that similar deals, such as with Chris Rock closed at $40 million, and Dave Chappelle with a blazing $60 million, so let’s just say Bey is sitting upwards of the $40 to $60 million dollar range on this most recent deal.
My head hurts just thinking about it.
Let me be crystal, that is to say clear, I am NOT a Beyhive cardcarrying member, but I respect the hustle and musicality of Mrs. Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter, whose Coachella 2018 performance raised the bar for artists across all genres of music, the name Beychella will humble performers for years to come.
It is fair to say that Homecoming pays tribute to Historically Black Colleges & Universities. Not since director Debbie Allen’s work on the Cosby Show spin-off A Different World have we seen such a display of Black excellence and pride in the infectious culture of a HBCU education and experience. The fictious Hillman College was the birthplace of the resurgence of African American student enrollment into colleges and universities across the globe. In that time, we could finally see ourselves on the screen, in a place that many thought unobtainable.
The Houston native, Queen Bey, references over 100 HBCUs to execute the vision for her Coachella experience. Mind- and body-bending dance with explosive band and orchestra sounds can be felt throughout the performance. Over 200-plus dancers, musicians, singers, steppers, and majorettes were on stage, each of them moving in concerted perfection. Beyonce herself provides voiceovers, detailing the toil and sacrifice of preparation and being the first African American woman to headline at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, since its birth in 1999 in the Colorado desert of Indio, California.
Mrs. Carter proudly defies all the world’s nay-sayers, who in some way directly or indirectly “wanted her to stay in her little black box.” Lyrics such as “ If you hurt me, you hurt yourself” rang out over a steady beat and a savage bass guitar. I was impressed. There was enough Lemonade being poured to quench the desires and aspirations of Black women and men across the world. I can only hope that she accomplished what she set out to do: remind them of the power of the HBCU, reiterate the bonds of brother- and sisterhood of the Greek organizations, and demonstrate to the world what it looks like to build a dream from the ground up, and if nothing else, enjoy the swag. It’s a whole lot a “Nice and Stanky” but don’t take my word for it, if you haven’t seen it, GO NOW!
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