Leave it to Beyoncé to close out the day with a surprise music drop (her second this year but first solo!). The Houston-born singer clearly handcrafted the release — first a Tidal exclusive — for Juneteenth, the celebration of the actual end of slavery in the United States, specifically in Texas in 1865, and in honor of this month’s Black Lives Matter protests. “I’m going back to the South/ Where my roots ain’t watered down,” she sings. “Trust me, they’re gonna need an army/ rubber bullets bouncing off.”
In addition to the song, Bey also released a directory on her website, urging fans to “follow my parade” to Black-owned businesses, from Arts & Design to Wellness & Health, and to a playlist on Tidal entitled Motherland Drip, featuring black artists from James Brown to Tierra Whack.