Beyonce‘s surprise “Formation” song has sent ripples through the media, from former mayors and cultural critics claiming that Beyonce’s promoting an “anti-police” message in her music to entire police departments declaring that they won’t help Beyonce’s security efforts when her Formation world tour hits their city. The wide range of responses Beyonce’s received include disgust, admiration and everything in between, and Minister Louis Farrakhan is one of those admirers. Amidst heavy continuing conversation surrounding law enforcement’s interaction with Beyonce post-“Formation,” Farrakhan has stepped in and volunteered the FOI—Fruit of Islam, the Nation of Islam’s security force–for her security needs as she travels the world in support of both “Formation” and a new album that will likely be out in the coming weeks.
Watch a brief clip of Farrakhan’s speech this weekend, in which he made the public vow to support Beyonce on her international trek. It won’t be that strange an occurrence should this actually take place. The Nation of Islam has heavily influenced several of the world’s biggest pop stars in the past, including their relationship with Michael Jackson in the early 2000’s, and more recently, Kanye West, who bragged on his The Life of Pablo album, “Got the Fruit of Islam in the trenches huh/Even though they know Yeezy is a Christian huh.”
