Where

do I begin: Beyoncé

Unpacking the phenomenon: The many reasons why Queen

Aimee DeLong

Contributor

On Feb. 5, 2023, history was made at the 65th annual Grammy awards. However, one accomplishment in particular stole the show—legendary singer Beyoncé won her 32nd Grammy award, earning her the title of artist with the most Grammy wins of all time. At present, it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t know her name. But how exactly did Queen Bey rise to the level of acclaim she holds today?

Long before the days of “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles started her career at nine years old by forming the group Destiny’s Child along with LaTavia Roberson, LeToya Luckett, and Kelly Rowland in Houston, Texas. While they initially formed the group in 1990, it wasn’t until their release of the single “No, No, No” in 1997 that they became a prominent name in the R&B scene. Destiny’s Child’s unique sound was influential in the genre—their sound incorporated the double-time vocal style, something scarcely seen in the music industry before they brought it into the limelight. The women in the group became a mainstream inspiration for young Black women and women of colour everywhere. As role models for younger women, Destiny’s Child also were the back- ing vocals for the iconic theme song of The Proud Family, that was performed by Solange Knowles, Beyoncé’s sister. While the group’s success had the Oxford Dictionary adding “bootylicious” to its vocabulary, nothing comparedes to the release of Knowles’ debut solo album in 2003, Dangerously In Love. This album boasted collaborations with famous artists, namely Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, and her now-husband, Jay-Z.

Although her musical contributions are nothing if not impressive, her raw talent is not the only thing that has captured the hearts of the masses. Beyoncé uses her enormous platform to stand up for what she believes in. For instance, her song “Flawless” has become a feminist anthem, all the while samplingincorporating a sample of Chimamanda Ngozi

Adichie’s TED talk on gender equality. All the more clear, Knowles has proclaimed her stance on empowering women through her hit song “Run the World (Girls).” Not only this, but she has spoken out against racism by vocalizing her support for and donating $1.6 million dollars to the Black Lives Matter movement. Asfter all, Beyoncé is a Black woman herself, Beyoncéand has described numerous obstacles she has faced due to systemic racism and sexism.

Even if she does hold the record for most Grammys won, the awards ceremony has repeatedly snubbed her from one category—Album of the Yearthe album of the year award. The singer has been nominated many times for albums like I am… Sasha Fierce and, perhaps most notably, Lemonade. Only three Black women have won the award: Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, and Lauryn

Hill. Lemonade, which was simultaneously released as an album and film produced by Knowles herself, could have and should have easily won if not for the Grammys’ racist bias and history.

Despite the majority of her fame coming from her career as a singer-songwriter, Knowles has dipped her toe into Hollywood as well. Her first major acting role came in 2002 when she co-starred with Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember. Since then, she has taken part in The Fighting Temptations in 2003, The Pink Panther and Dreamgirls in 2006, and the live-action adaptation of The Lion King in 2019 as well. Admittedly, her abilities as a singer are far more noteworthy than her theatrical performance. Even if her movie roles have not been groundbreaking, she does make up for it in pure showmanship.

There’s no denying that Beyoncé is famous for good reason: Her singles and albums have been topping the Billboard music charts for over two decades, and even with the calibre of her recorded music aside, her live performances exhilarate her audiences. After all, tickets for her upcoming world tour for her most recent album RENAISSANCE are going for an average of $500. With her laundry list of achievements, she has surely earned her title—all hail Queen Bey.

Black Theatre Workshop presents play about Trayvon Martin’s journey into the afterlife

Dana Prather Staff Writer

Content Warning: Discussion of antiBlack racism, police brutality, and murder

While Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers arrived in Montreal at the end of Black History Month, this solo theatrical work serves as a striking affirmation that Black lives matter year round. Created and performed by Makambe K Simamba, this co-production between Black Theatre Workshop and Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre ran from Feb. 22 to 26 at the Segal Centre.

The play invites audience members into the final moments of Slimm’s life, a 17-year old from Miami who is murdered in an incident of anti-Black violence. Stuck in a mysterious liminal space, he must follow the steps his ancestors set out for him to prepare for his journey into the afterlife.

Portraying the story of the real-life teen Trayvon “Slimm” Martin almost 11 years to the day after his tragic death, the play offers audiences a fictionalized look into Slimm’s life—a defiant opposition to the media’s tendency to focus on his infamous murder. On Feb. 26, 2012, Martin was walking back from a convenience store to his father’s fiancée’s house in a gated community when he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. The captain of the local neighbourhood watch, Zimmerman claimed that Martin appeared suspicious and that he had been forced to shoot the teenager in self-defence after a dan- gerous physical altercation. Though charged with second-degree murder, Zimmerman was acquitted by the jury. Zimmerman’s acquittal sparked outrage across America as people fought to gain justice for Martin. This wave of protests against police brutality and antiBlack racism led to the eventual formation of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013.

To bring Martin to life, Simamba spent much of the creation and rehearsal process developing a movement style and vocabulary that felt representative of Black American youth at the time.

“I wanted to explore 17-year-old hip hop culture, [...] what that physicality and culture might have been,” Simamba said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “In 2012, a lot of Black boys and teenagers were trending, and seeing the way in which young Black bodies were setting trends, dance moves, language [....] I leaned into it pretty naturally.”

In developing this physicality and vocal quality, Simamba expertly captured Martin’s energy and provided the audience with a clear-cut way of distinguishing between the various characters she plays throughout the story; Martin’s low, relaxed voice and slouched body contrasted with his mother’s higher, reedy voice and upright posture. Simamba shifted between characters swiftly and effortlessly, demonstrating an impressive command of her physical and vocal abilities.

Now a nearly 90-minute play, Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers was originally developed as a 10-minute solo piece while Simamba was participating in the Cal- gary theatre company One Yellow Rabbit’s Summer Lab Intensive in 2016. Simamba then continued to develop and refine the work for several years before its world premiere in Toronto at b current Performing Arts in 2019. The current production, directed by three-time Governor General’s Award nominee Donna Michelle St. Bernard, will continue to tour across Canada after its run at Black Theatre Workshop.

Although it is distressing that the play continues to reflect the ongoing police brutality experienced by Black people in North America in 2023, Simamba recognized the importance of showcasing her play in a coun- try where many continue to believe that antiBlack racism is a problem reserved for our neighbours south of the border.

“That division does not exist in the way people think it does,” Simamba said. “There are Canadian names on the list [of victims of police brutality]. It’s not just one group or one country that’s doing this.”

The play’s ending made the passage of time since 2012 feel even more striking. Simamba ended the performance by reciting a list of names—police brutality victims from the 1800s to the present. The devastating list went on for 10 minutes and ended with five names from 2023.