But what about the Black billionaires?
The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author.
“A chicken can’t produce a duck egg. It has not the means nor the system within to produce a duck egg. In the same way, the Capitalist system cannot produce freedom for a Black man. It has not the means within to produce freedom; it has not the educational means, the political means, the legislative means. And if a chicken was to produce a duck egg, it would be considered a revolutionary chicken.” – Malcolm X
Beyoncé’s sixth album, “Lemonade,” defined 2016. Its notoriety came, in part, from its significant departure from her previous albums. While the others felt more sultry and romantic, this album had an image shift. The album’s visuals introduced a whole new generation to the imagery of Black radicalism through homages to Black activism and representations of racial inequality. It explores themes of Black resilience and embracing one’s Blackness. Because the album carries strong messages of Black empowerment, to what extent and in what ways does Beyoncé contribute to oppressive systems?
The song that best captures this image is the album’s 12th track, “Formation.” The music video shows provocative images like a flooded New Orleans, an homage to the disastrous Hurricane Katrina that struck the coast of Louisiana in 2005 and hit poor Black neighborhoods the hardest. She also has countless images depicting police brutality, such as a little boy dancing in front of a police blockade, snippets of police surveilling Black neighborhoods and “Stop Shooting Us” spray-painted on a wall. All are great examples of the impacts of racism, but what many audiences fail to realize is where these systems of inequality stem from, which is capitalism.
As it relates to the “Formation” video, the reason Hurricane Katrina hit poor Black neighborhoods the most is because of the redirected funds and the neglect of public infrastructure to fund the Iraq War. Because of this neglect, the levees that protect the city weakened, causing the flood. Police brutality and capitalism are intertwined through the very conception and function of law enforcement. With its roots coming from “slave patrols”, a way to control enslaved populations, United States law enforcement from inception has been a violent force focused on degrading and dehumanizing Black people. Part of the reasoning behind slave patrols was to protect the wage-labor that slaves produced. Beyoncé takes these realities, presents them with the aesthetics and overall sentiments of the Black radical tradition, all the while leaving out any deeper critique of how capitalism prioritizes profit to reinforce racial hierarchy.
As a billionaire, Beyoncé is a part of the system that benefits from capitalism. Black radicalism is the disruption of the social, political and cultural issues that plague society and explicitly calls out capitalism as the root of systemic issues. Capitalism drives racism and justifies the exploitation of minority groups. She uses Black radicalism almost like an aesthetic or shield to hide the fact that she benefits from capitalism, the very same system that is the direct cause of the problems that she is critiquing in the video. This behavior then reflects on the audience. We separate systemic issues from capitalism and, as a result, from the artists who invigorate capitalism. When audiences are captivated by these artists, they form a parasocial relationship and may struggle to recognize and confront criticism about them or examine their complicity.
The third track, “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” includes a sample of Malcom X’s quote, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” Malcolm X was a pioneer in Black radicalism and an advocate for Black empowerment. To quote Malcolm X while benefiting from capitalism, acting in ways directly opposite his beliefs is extremely hypocritical.
Malcolm X viewed capitalism as a system of violence that is built on racism, imperialism and the exploitation of people, especially those in the Global South. He repeatedly drew connections between the Palestinian struggle and the Black radicalism movement, so Beyoncé’s November 2023 decision to screen her film “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” in Israel is another example of the radical iconography she pulls from not matching her actions.
At the time of this premiere, the Israeli Defense Forces were already committing war crimes in Gaza following the October 7 attack, but Beyoncé still chose to screen her film there.
Some fans criticized her for not pulling it from the country. While Israelis sang along to “Break My Soul,” waving the Israeli flag to the song’s message of strength, resilience and having an unbreakable spirit, Palestinians continued to be murdered and mutilated by the Israeli Defense Force and the Israeli government. She could’ve chosen to pull the film from the country and speak out against the genocide, but she didn’t. As it relates to domestic issues, the same Israeli Defense Force trains our police officers.
But Beyoncé is just one of many Black artists: Jay-Z praised the idea of “Black capitalism,” stating, “They start inventing words like ‘capitalist.’ We’ve been called ‘n—ers’ and ‘monkeys’ and s–t. I don’t care what words y’all come up with. Y’all gotta come with stronger words.”
He insists that capitalism is the key to uplifting poor and marginalized communities and that, as a Black man, critiques of his participation in capitalism are a direct attack on Black entrepreneurship.
Despite this, Beyoncé’s defenders continue to preach that she doesn’t owe activism to anyone or that Black women shouldn’t be expected to be activists for everyone. One redditor on the r/beyonce thread said, “I feel like the criticism Bey gets for being a capitalist ‘billionaire’ is just a new excuse to criticize her, because most people doing the complaining/criticizing are secretly fantasizing about the same lifestyle she has.” This is another example of Beyoncé’s fans’ being unable to confront criticism about their favorite artists, looking at criticism and crying out, “What about the Black billionaires?”
So when do we have the right to critique these artists? Audiences defend these billionaires because “a win for one is a win for all.” As long as the billionaire is Black, then we all have a chance of making it out of the system. The same billionaires call attention to the structured violence but inexplicably contribute to the system that causes this violence. But the commodification of racial identity under capitalism provides a much-needed counter to this belief. Everyone, no matter their background, can contribute to the forward momentum of capitalism.
So what about the Black billionaires? Why have we accepted hypocrisy from these figures who use the imagery and quotations of Black revolutionaries in the name of capital? It shouldn’t be abnormal to call out this hypocrisy and demand change in what they practice, to stay true to the imagery they chose to co-opt. It doesn’t matter how much you talk about racism and discrimination when your actions and businesses fuel the capitalist system that creates these issues.
Look, I love these artists too. “Say My Name” was my most-played song of 2025, but I’ll listen to them while staying critical of their behavior. I don’t hate Beyoncé or even think that she is a bad person, but she, like any other artist, deserves criticism for contributing to capitalism. But the only way to fight the problems capitalism creates is to speak up, no matter who it is or what art they produce.