Thread by @valavoosh

I'm enjoying the cultural references in Already. I'm looking forward to seeing more from the entire #BlackIsKing film. I saw this & immediately thought of women in rural Eastern Cape. Also the horns on the hair remind of the Mursi women of Ethiopia.

I think Bey heard fans and music writers who felt there wasn't enough sonic representation of all regions of the African continent so she may have used that feedback and incorporated all parts of Africa in the #BlackIsKing visuals. Hopefully we get a BIS film on this.

Another East African reprisentation in the form of the lip disc. This is a practice popular in places like Chad Ethiopia, Mozambique. The size of the lip disc can be symbolic of amount of cattle paid for bride price. Patterns on the disc are symbols of societal status.

Then there's the maasai reference. Not just with the jump but the color of the suits. The shuka is also blue/indigo color. It's origins are varied. Cloths were a form of currency and the shuka may have arrived as a result of trade between the far east, the Arab world and Africa.

This was very much a nod to Nigerian fashion. The beautiful lace, the head wrap. Just gorgeous.

The Himba people of Namibia are also represented. The thickness of the hair symbolizes fertility, specifically a women's ability to have strong and healthy children. Already speaks to the power and strength of a young king so this reference is apt for the video.

I think the animal print helps us think about the animation on which Black is King is based. I saw there's a pool scene in which Bey is surrounded by synchronized swimmers in pink and orange for another visual. That immediately reminded me of flamingos.

The video didn't blow me away. Maybe the others will. But the highlight for me is the representation. I love the effort to showcase various African communities. I love how she's expanded on this beyond West African styles since lemonade. I like that she took feedback seriously.

I'm also enjoying the many references Bey manages to incorporate in one shot. We've covered the horns and pipe. I want to add the braids are reminiscent of the goddess of women, fertility and love Hathor. I think it's a nod to the "circle of life" theme. Lion King is male-centric

So I think she attempts to balance this out by thinking about ideas of fertility and women as a source of life and link between the physical and spiritual world.