Contexts

• Formation, lead single for the album Lemonade, was released the day before Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl final in February 2016.
• The Formation music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was released with the song.
• The video is set against the backdrop of the flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the associated racial tension in America, and also draws historical parallels with references to racism and slaver