First point of order: To keep a level playing field, there are no repeat artists and no longform music videos on this list. It was extremely difficult to not include “Hold Up” or any of the other Lemonade videos for songs released as singles. Lemonade is best viewed as a cohesive unit; “Formation,” on the other hand, is a music video that stands best on its own.
It beautifully and succinctly represents all the themes of Beyoncé’s album: It's as hard-hitting as it is joyous; a Southern Gothic fashion film that also manages to be a love letter to a New Orleans (still healing from Hurricane Katrina); and deeply researched, utilizing footage from The B.E.A.T. and samples from NOLA personalities Big Freedia and Messy Mya. Plus, lyrics about baby hair paired with a little black boy in a hoodie dancing in front of graffiti that says “Stop Shooting Us” is a perfect example of how the video shows a full portrait of black love, black life, and black loss. Sans higher meaning, it’s still thrilling to see Bey and a team of dancers decked out in Gucci sweatsuits perform a dance number in an empty pool.