Beyoncé celebrates Juneteenth with surprise song 'Black Parade'

It looks like Beyoncé wasn't going to let Juneteenth go by without a BIG surprise. Not only did the superstar unveil a directory of Black owned businesses. She also returned from hiatus with brand new track, "Black Parade." LISTEN BELOW.The anthem is a celebration of Black excellence, as Beyoncé honours the history of her people while looking towards the future, all over a hard hitting baseline with stand out lyrics referencing the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests happening across the U.S. and around the world: “Trust me they gone need an army / Rubber bullets bouncing off me.”It's after 11PM eastern time on June 19th when Tidal appears to be the first place to announce the new track. 30 minutes later they tweet a second time, revealing there's an extended version available exclusively on their platform. "Black Parade" follows Bey's appearance on the remix to Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage" back in April. The song was one of many COVID-19 relief efforts made by the singer, which also included $6 million in funds and a testing campaign in her hometown of Houston, Texas. "Black Parade" is her first solo work since 'The Lion King: The Gift' companion album in 2019. According to the her site, "Black Parade" benefits BeyGOOD’s Black Business Impact Fund — administered by the National Urban League — to support black-owned small businesses in need.Shortly before releasing the track, the superstar made a rare post on Instagram wishing followers a Happy Juneteeth weekend, and announcing a "Black Parade" directory of Black owned businesses on her official website. The post included audio and what we have now come to recognize as the song's artwork, but in typically Beyoncé mystery, no real mention of a new single... But maybe that's because using her platform to draw attention to the new directory was more important.

View this post on Instagram

Happy Juneteenth Weekend! I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to remember our beauty, strength and power. _ “BLACK PARADE” celebrates you, your voice and your joy and will benefit Black-owned small businesses. Click the link in my bio to learn more.

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jun 19, 2020 at 6:47pm PDT

It marks another high profile move by Beyoncé in support of Black Lives Matter and the current cultural conversation around racial justice. Earlier this week she wrote an open letter to the Kentucky Attorney General demanding justice for Breonna Taylor. If there's one thing we've come to expect from Queen Bey, it's music with a great message.[video_embed id='1977626']Beyoncé pens powerful letter demanding justice for Breonna Taylor.[/video_embed]