Black Is King – Africa’s Reflection Through Music and Fashion

The 2019 reboot of the “Lion King” featured a star-studded cast, ranging from the late James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa to popular singers Childish Gambino (credited as Donald Glover) and Beyoncé as adult Simba and Nala respectively. In my opinion, the movie’s success is complemented by its soundtrack, and in 2020, Beyoncé released her own project surrounding the themes of “The Lion King” with a concert film titled “Black Is King”.

Through striking visuals, musical performances from featured artists, and eye-catching fashion choices, Beyonce highlights how important it is for people of African descent to embrace their heritage and connect with their roots.

Bringing Africa to Hollywood Through Music

The concert film is rich with colorful imagery accompanying “The Lion King: The Gift”, an album curated and produced by Beyoncé and inspired by the new reboot of “The Lion King”. There’s a variety of genres mixed in the soundtrack, such as R&B and musical influences from countries like South Africa and Mozambique, and many black artists from the continent are featured throughout, exemplifying their significance and influence. Beyoncé also had the South African producer duo, The Imports, on the tracks since “authenticity and heart were important to [her]”.

A highlight of the music in “Black Is King” is the heavy presence of African languages, such as Zulu and Yoruba, which can be attributed to the artists featured. Many are from different parts of Africa and are big in the music scene, like Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy. He’s the main artist on the song “JA ARA E”, and the title is a popular Yoruba slang predominant in Nigeria and Benin. Meaning to “wise up”, it’s often a phrase used to warn others not to fall into peer pressure.

Yoruba

Yoruba is mixed with English throughout the song all the while effectively communicating to listeners the deeper meaning behind the music. The presence of African languages in an English project also speaks to many people of African descent, finding a kinship and special connection to the project. More examples of this are found in a verse each from the songs “MY POWER”, “FIND YOUR WAY BACK”, “DON’T JEALOUS ME”, and more.

Another notable song in the soundtrack is “BROWN SKIN GIRL”, which was released as a single leading up to the release of “Black Is King”. The performance in the film has celebrities Naomi Campbell, Kelly Rowland, and Lupita Nyong’o among many others, backup dancers and models all different shades of brown. The song serves as an anthem to uplift girls of darker skin tones, whether African or not, and the lyrics heavily speak on how women of different ethnicities go through so much more in life and therefore are stronger because of it. Having a song like this performed on an elevated platform, like a concert film produced by Beyoncé, ensures that the positive impact meant for the audience will reach them for sure.

“Black Is King”: A Look Into the Looks

The fashion in “Black Is King” is one of the more memorable aspects, with both how visually stunning each outfit is and also how thoughtful they were. Beyoncé had over 60 looks coordinated by the film’s costume designer, Zerina Akers, and all of them contributed to the overall movie impact through the context of certain scenes. For each song performed, there were deliberate choices, made behind each outfit and their accessories.

A common theme with the outfits in the film is that dresses were flowy and elegant, and there was a lack of restriction indicated by the mobility of the performers, conveying a sense of freedom amongst embracing African heritage. For example, the very first look of the film features Beyoncé walking by the bench in a long white dress performing “Bigger”. The dress is from Wendy Nichol, a New York-based designer Beyoncé has previously collaborated with. The overall meaning behind the fashion choice was to portray “this cross-generational experience through tradition”, like African women carrying water baskets to the water. Furthermore, the flowy nature of the dress can represent the flow of water and how nature can ground you through hardship.

“Find Your Way Back” Performance

Another notable outfit from the film is from the performance of “Find Your Way Back”. A Big concept about the fashion of the song was outer space, specifically constellations and other celestial themes. That translated into the components of Beyoncé’s main outfits for her performance. Previous collaborator Destiny Bleu of d.bleu.bedazzled contributes a black bedazzled catsuit with a matching halo-like headband, bringing the stars from space to the film. However, a major accessory for the outfit was a tall silver necklace from Laurel Dewitt, which in actuality was several chokers welded together Akers explains that the piece “was inspired by the Ndebele tribe with their culture of neck stretching”. This aspect brings forth the importance of expressing African culture and traditions in modernity, given that the Area crystal bracelets and headdress accompanying the sparkling catsuit convey a futuristic style rooted in tradition.

Celebrating Black Culture and African Heritage

Beyoncé has been a music industry icon for decades, and her influence continues to reign, as seen in her recent halftime show for the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans Christmas Day game. This concert film not only shows her dedication to her craft but also represents how deeply she is connected to her roots and wants to inspire others to feel the same. With the film exploring black-related topics like Afrofuturism, Black Pride, and the African diaspora through insightful music and deliberate fashion choices, the main character’s journey back home to his African kingdom can be related to people of African descent finding their way back to their roots and embracing their African heritage, which can influence the black community and gives them a voice in both the film and music industries.