The Beyonce train has officially pulled into the station.

After stressing the Hive out to near desperation, Lemonade finally arrived—in a grandiose fashion, of course—via an hour-long movie on HBO. Moving similarly to Vivian Green’s 2002 A Love Story concept album, Bey’s latest follows the ebb and flow of love and marriage.

Whether autobiographical or a telling of her mother’s story, Lemonade speaks to any woman that has loved and lost her relationship and herself, and for this it feels as if the public is finally seeing Beyonce for the very first time. The music is sonically more current than anything she’s ever done, and she’s pushing boundaries that were well overdue for an artist of her celebrity and caliber. The world has been waiting with baited breath for Beyonce’s Thriller, and now it’s here.

These are the five ingredients of Lemonade.

The Shoot Locations

With both “B’Day” and “Beyonce,” Bey gave fans video anthologies bringing each song to life. However, this go-round, she truly upped the ante. Elevating to a more arthouse style, Lemonade is her most visually stimulating project yet. From the building leap into a vast body of water to the still waters of the Louisiana coast, the shots can easily take your breath away. Many often overlook the power of location, but this film is the definition of how it can shift the dynamic of the song it’s supporting.

Warsan Shire’s Words

The good people at Parkwood have really been doing their homework! Warsan Shire’s domain resided solely in the BlackGirlMagic crevices of the Internet and contemporary lit world, but she will now be a household name thanks to her role in Lemonade. The Somali-Brit poet is the pen behind the incredibly piercing words between each song. Shire’s 2012 For Women Who Are Difficult to Love is the perfect place to start the spiral into her stellar body of work.

The References

Much is made about Beyonce’s use of references in her videos. Whether the artists have been compensated or not is none of our business, but it does educate the masses on films and literature that we may have never had access to before. The strongest reference throughout Lemonade was the cult classic Daughters of the Dust from director Julie Dash.

Set in early 1900s coastal South Carolina, the film follows three generations of black women in the midst of major transition. The white dresses (an obvious homage to Orisha Yemaya) and congregation of women as well as the weeping willow and lakeside scenes of Lemonade harken back to the visuals of this often forgotten, yet historic, film.
 

The Cameos

Zendaya! Amandla! Blue! Jay! (What is his obsession with her ankle?) Serena! Quvenzhane! All unexpected, but boy were they epic! None were more poignant than that of Gwen Carr, Sybrina Fulton and Lezley McSpadden, the mothers of Eric Gardner, Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown, respectively.

Having all lost their sons tragically and forced to live through it publicly, this was the most somber moment in the hour. As Ms. McSpadden openly weeps for her baby boy, your heart has no choice but to break. Her self-titled album seemed to be the moment when Bey found her voice; Lemonade was the moment when she used her voice to elevate others.

The Fashion

Beyonce’s styling team did not come to play with you hoes. With the addition of stylist Zerina Akers, Queen Bey’s style has become chic and playful while rooted in a classic ‘90s Southern hip-hop aesthetic. With Marni Senofonte at the helm, Lemonade kicked the door down completely once the canary yellow F/W16 Cavalli dress exploded (literally) on to the screen for “Hold Up.” Bey even out Kim K’d Kim K in the album standout, “Don’t Hurt Yourself.”

The cold shoulder style Hood by Air fur was just to die for. The ankara print Victorian gown first spotted in “Daddy’s Lessons” was very reminiscent of Toni Braxton’s iconic “Breathe Again” video. The women of the world will no doubt be dissecting and recreating Lemonade’s looks for all of Summer '16.