Here are five things to kow about this viral moment:
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 05: (L-R) Jay-Z, Beyonce, Nicole Curran and Joseph S. Lacob attend Game Three of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors at ORACLE Arena on June 05, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
[VIDEO] Frankie Beverly Speaks Out On Beyonce’s Cover of ‘Before I Let Go’
As you should know by now, Beyonce released her documentary ‘Homecoming’ on Netflix of her 2018 Coachella performance and the experience while preparing for it. She was the first black woman to headline Coachella, bringing Jay-Z, her sister Solange, and Destiny Child’s on stage with a marching band consisting of people from HBCU’s across America. Along with the documentary, she dropped the soundtrack for the 2-hour performance. One of the songs on the tape is a bonus track which is a cover of the Maze hit song ‘Before I Let Go.’ The track was also on the credits for the Homecoming documentary.
You can hear it here:
Many people questioned whether Beyonce crossed the line by trying to re-do the 38-year-old song with a New Orleans twist while also adding some of her own lyrics. But, the writer of the song Frankie Beverly himself has spoken out about his feelings towards the song by saying, “She’s done so much, this is one of the high points of my life,” he told Billboard.
LOS ANGELES, CA: Recording artist Frankie Beverly attends the BET Awards ’12 at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
You can hear the original by Maze and Frankie Beverly here:
Beverly then says that the two are actually great friends. “She’s a great friend of mine, but I didn’t know she was going to do this. I was hearing stuff, but I didn’t even want to approach her about it. She kept it quiet until her people called me one day maybe a week or two ago. When they played it, that’s when I heard the first draft of it, and I was blown away. It’s a blessing. It’s amazing how she works; she’s very smart. I’m caught off guard, but in a beautiful way. She’s such a sweet person too. She’s a very sweet, religious kind of person. Then the way she just released it, it’s off the chain.”
The two met while Beyonce was in her teens and she was a big fan of Maze. “We met years ago. I think she was in her teens at the time, if that. I guess she really liked Maze and the song even then, so her mother brought her to our show at the Houston Rodeo. I met her then for the first time but didn’t know much about her. She wasn’t a big hit star then, but we wound up working together a few times since and she’s always been very, very nice to me. This cover was just like she is. She didn’t make a big deal out of doing this song, and that’s just the way she works. I love the way she does her thing.” says Beverly.
“I’m hearing from people I haven’t heard from in years,” he said. “She’s done something that has affected my life […] So it’s changed things around for me.”
Beyonce fans have taken the song by storm so much that Beyonce launched a “Before I Let Go” challenge and she has been posting her favorites to her Instagram.
You can see the dance challenge here:
Written by Imani Maxberry
Sources:
essence.com // bossip.com // billboard.com
