As the lion roars in the theater, a gift is sent to Africa

Aleke David

The lion king: The Gift, is an album by African American singer Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter. The album is inspired by the remaking of the 1994 Walt Disneys classic animated movie The lion King for the 2019 movie of the same name which also doubles as one of the top ten highest grossing animated movie of all time with a lifetime gross of $422,783,777 according to Box Office.

The album which was released on Friday of 19th July 2019, featured collaborations with Jay z, Beyonces hubby; Childish Gambino who is mainly known for is 2018 Grammy award winning single This is America and who also voiced as Simba; Kendrick Lamar; Pharrell Williams, Brooklyn born artiste; Beyonces first daughter Blue Ivy Carter; and many African artistes from Nigeria, among whom are Wizkid, Tekno, Yemi Alade, Mr Eazi, Burna Boy and Tiwa Savage. Also on the tracklist is Ghanaian Shatta Wale. There are also South African singers Busiswa and Moonchild Sanelly.

The 27 track [including interludes] album had an overall theme of African centralism, African reawakening and root realization.

Speaking to ABC information about the album, Beyonce said: This soundtrack is a love letter to Africa and I wished to ensure we discovered the most effective expertise from Africa, and never simply use a number of the sounds and did my interpretation of it. I wished it to be genuine to whats stunning concerning music in Africa.

This musical tribute to Africa also incorporates lyrics in various languages such as Afrikaans, Yoruba and Swahili. The languages used could be attributed to the setting of the movie which is in the Pride Land of Africa with the characters bearing Swahili names; Simba for lion, Sarabi for mirage, Rafiki for friend, Nala for Gift and Pumbaa for foolish. The exclusive black involvement in the album maybe justified.

“The Lion King: The Gift is Beyoncés offering to the idea of bringing connection to those who never realized such was possible, maintaining heritage in the face of aborted and abbreviated histories. Beys softer solo turn in Bigger makes its DNA-laced connection to pride known even through the plastic soul of Auto Tune. If you feel insignificant, you better think again / Better wake up because youre part of something way bigger / Youre part of something way bigger / Not just a speck in the universe / Not just some words in a Bible verse, she sings.

The albums warm production and anthemia musicality makes up for whatever The Lion King: movie misses. It makes up for it in flavor, heart and grandeur without treacle, with its own blend of gravitas and sentimentalism

The album release is an acknowledgment of the growing reputation and strength that African music, especially the Afro beats genre has, says music analyst, Segun Akande.”Building a major release around Afro beats as a movement and Afro pop as a sound is a major cosign for what they’ve achieved,” he told CNN. “When you consider how big the Lion King franchise is, the album has the potential to put Afro pop in the global conversation and introduce a younger generation across the world to our music.

Africans on social media are sharing positive reactions to the tracklist on the Lion King album.