Rolling Stone Names Singer Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ Best Music Video Of All Time

Rolling Stone magazine has named singer Beyoncé’s music video for her song Formation the best music video of all time. Rolling Stone ranked the top 100 music videos of all time, and Formation was

ranked as number the one music video.

Director Melina Matsoukas directed the video and told The New Yorker that Beyoncé wanted to show the impact of slavery on the Black family. They wanted the video to be an anthem of female and Black empowerment.

“She wanted to show the historical impact of slavery on Black love, and what it has done to the Black family,” said Matsoukas.“And Black men and women—how we’re almost socialized not to be together.”

The video shows Beyoncé in a plantation-style house set in Louisiana where Black people are the masters and not slaves. The end of the video shows the Lemonade singer laying on top of a police car in Hurricane Katrina floodwater that eventually sinks.

The video caused backlash from police unions throughout the country. Beyoncé performed the song at the Super Bowl just after the video dropped with dancers dressed similar to the Black Panthers. Critics called her anti-police, and the Formation

singer spoke out to address the backlash.

“I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of the officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe,” she said. “But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice.”

Matsoukas has also directed videos for Snoop Dogg, Solange Knowles, Rhianna, Gwen Stefani, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Robin Thicke and Jennifer Lopez.

In third place for the best music video of all time was Madonna’s Vogue and second place went to the music video Hurt by Johnny Cash.