Black or white Bonnie and Clyde has always been the prime example of what a real ride or die type of love looks like. Many longed for it, many fought for it, and many tried to emulate the essence of having that. Although the black community wanted that Bonnie and Clyde type of love, that just wasn’t our story and we didn’t have an example of that sort of black love until today. Black love has always been the backbone of our community and it’s so refreshing to see Lena Waithe bring our black, ride or die love to life with Queen and Slim. Although fictional, this movie gives us our own heroes to reference that reflect our reality here in the U.S. In addition to giving us our Bonnie and Clyde love story, Queen and Slim gifts the black community with an alternative view on a story line that we’ve seen over and over. And I’m providing the musical equivalent to her tale with “Queen and Slim The Playlist”.
Love, loyalty and legacy become the central theme of not only the movie but the playlist as well. Songs like “Part II on the Run”, and “21 Questions” reinforce the theme, but it’s also filled with songs like “Bordeline” by Solange and “Candles in the Sun” by Miguel which remind us of the black community’s struggle and how in our reality black love can’t always exist without the added pressure of fighting a revolution. We find solace in that love; we don’t see it as often as we should and when we find it, it can slip through the cracks of systematic oppression, trigger fingers, and a hatred built to annihilate such a love. With Queen and Slim, that narrative and desire for that ride or die type of love is infinite for the black man and woman. And with this playlist you can celebrate your love, fantasize about that dangerous love, or just enjoy knowing that profound love is accessible off of the big screen.
“Queen & Slim The Playlist can be downloaded on Apple Music and Tidal:
