Beyoncé’s Super Bowl halftime show performance in 2016 remains a topic of discussion despite taking place half a decade ago. The latest spin about the iconic performance that oozed of Blackness is coming from the singer’s father, Mathew Knowles.
In an interview with the blog site The Jasmine Brand, Knowles says his eldest daughter paid a price for dressing her backup dancers in attire that somewhat evoked the Black Panther Party, putting up the Black power fist, and forming an ‘X’ across the field in homage to Black liberation leader Malcolm X.
“You know, when she did the halftime years ago in San Francisco and did the Black power, and the Black, whole, movement, you know she paid a dear price for that,” Knowles told the interviewer. He also described his daughter as being “unapologetically Black.”
Knowles said the price she paid was felt not only financially, but also in fan support.
“She lost some of her endorsements, she lost a lot of her white fans, a lot of her white fans. And I don’t think her Black fans understand it, I don’t think Black people in general, and not just for Beyoncé or Solange,” he expounded. “I don’t think Black people know, we see these leaders the price that they pay, and sometimes it’s their life.”
While the mother of three obviously still has her life intact and financial standing, she did endure backlash when people on social media and public figures accused her of being anti-police.
“I mean this is a political position, she’s probably going to take advantage of it. You’re talking to middle America when you have the Super Bowl, so you can have entertainment,” said former New York City Mayor and right-wing provocateur Rudy Giuliani, who later made headlines for his passionate advocacy for President Donald Trump. “Let’s have, you know, decent wholesome entertainment, and not use it as a platform to attack the people who, you know, put their lives at risk to save us.”
The revelation that the singer suffered some loses while using her platform to highlight injustice against Black people was praised.
“Beyonce is an inspiration to us all.”
“Beyoncé said y’all gone get this BLACK EXCELLENCE 🙌🏾👏🏾✊🏾”
But also, people took a dig at Knowles for again finding a way to speak on his famous offspring.
“Not miss Matthew speaking once again”
“🤔why is he being interviewed….if people have questions about Beyoncé, ask Mrs. Tina🙄”
