M.I.A Slams Beyonce & #BlackLivesMatter

The reverberations from Beyonce‘s fiery ‘Formation’ release show no signs of silencing.

As widely reported, the track and its video (which many interpreted as pro-Black) have been the inspiration for many spirited debates – both critical and endorsing.

Now on the eve of Queen Bey’s ‘Lemonade’ release (which promises more of such moments), outspoken rapper M.I.A has voiced her opinion on ‘Formation’ and the #BlackLivesMatter movement it celebrates.

Her words, which may surprise some, await below…

Speaking to the UK’s Evening Standing, the 40-year-old said:

“It’s not a new thing to me – it’s what Lauryn Hill was saying in the 1990s, or Public Enemy in the 1980s. Is Beyoncé​ or Kendrick Lamar going to say Muslim Lives Matter? Or Syrian Lives Matter? Or this kid in Pakistan matters? That’s a more interesting question.

And you cannot ask it on a song that’s on Apple, you cannot ask it on an American TV programme, you cannot create a tag on Twitter, Michelle Obama isn’t going to hump you back.”

Sigh.

Do all lives matter? Yes. However, in view of society’s many injustices and imbalances, it is narrow-minded, insensitive, and counter-productive to start quantifying which minority or afflicted group matters most.

It’s alarming to see someone supposedly as knowledgeable as M.I.A attempt to devalue a movement that has only ever been about celebrating a culture and striving for equality.

What’s more, it’s incredibly ill-advised for M.I.A – who is not Black – to depict the #BlackLivesMatter movement as being passé. Because, the reality is that many of the issues plaguing the Black community in the 80s and 90s are still prevalent 20/30 years on.

Ridiculous woman.