8 Things You May Have Missed in Beyoncé’s ‘Black Is King’
The visual album is robust with cross-cultural depictions of Black people, art, religion, and fashion
Beyoncé gave us a new version of Nala in last year’s reboot of The Lion King, a reimagining of the original 1994 movie. She curated the accompanying soundtrack, The Lion King: The Gift. And now, the superstar elevates the iconic story through a seamless stream of music videos in her latest visual album, Black Is King, released last week on Disney+.
Drenched in cross-cultural depictions of Black people, art, symbols, religion, and fashion across the Diaspora, Black is King is the story of Simba’s journey through tumultuous formative years before accepting his rightful place in the circle of life. There are too many significant moments to name, but we’ve got you covered on key details you may have missed while experiencing the stunning project.
Simba’s journey
Black is King follows Simba’s journey not as a lion cub but as a human, through the eyes of a young boy, played by Folajomi Akinmurele. In the video for “Don’t Jealous Me,” by Tekno, Lord Afrixana, and Yemi Alade, Tekno boasts, “I can’t talk for too long / got too much gold to try on.” This is reminiscent of the impatience found in Simba…
