It’s Not Just a Lyric — Beyonce’s Roots Are Hardcore Cajun and Creole

If you dug into Beyonce's latest surprise single, "Formation," you probably noticed that she said her "daddy Alabama / momma Louisiana / You mix that Negro with that Creole make a Texas bamma."

What you might not have known is that Beyonce has deep Louisiana roots, going back all the way to the original Acadians from Canada. Bey is famously a mix of Native American, French, African, Cajun, Creole, Irish and Spanish ancestries. Born in Houston, she's a Texas native. But, through her mother's side of the family, she's practically Cajun royalty.

In the week before the Super Bowl, Beyonce reminded everyone that her family comes from New Iberia. Her mother, Tina Knowles, and her grandmother, Agnes Dereon, both grew up in the area. Agnes was originally from Delcambre. Tina Knowles' fashion line, "House of Dereon," pays direct tribute to her mother. Also, Beyonce's name was inspired by her grandfather -- Abbeville native Lumis Biyince.

But wait, it doesn't stop there. As it turns out, the maternal side of Beyonce's family can be traced all the way back to Cajun hero Joseph Broussard. Who was he? He went by the nickname Beausoleil, and he was basically the man who led the Cajuns to Louisiana in 1765 after they were exiled from Nova Scotia. The man was basically the Cajun boss, and since he had 11 children, his descendants are all over South Louisiana.

Described as the "Che Guevara, Thomas Jefferson and Moses" of the Acadian people, he was imprisoned and later exiled as a result of his efforts against the British, eventually leading a group of French-speaking Catholics from present-day Canada to Louisiana in 1765. It is largely from this initial group of migrants that the Cajun culture developed. -- Huffington Post

Beyonce's cousin, Willie Mae Broussard, still lives in New Iberia and recently shared her memories of a little, tiny Bey visiting Louisiana with the Daily Iberian:

Broussard, whose father was first cousins with Tina Knowles, remembered meeting Beyoncé for the first time at a family reunion in 1992. She said she has fond memories of visiting with Tina Knowles at New Iberia’s Holiday Inn. Beyoncé was 11 years old at the time, but when she performed for the family, Broussard said she could see a star in the making.

“I knew she had talent,” said Broussard. “I knew she was going somewhere in life.”

Broussard said she next saw Beyoncé at the family’s 1998 reunion when Destiny’s Child, the singing trio of Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, performed their first single.

If you really want to trace this back, you can dig deep into Bey's family tree.