by NICK BARRICKMAN
Black is King is a musical film and visual album written, produced and performed by US singer Beyoncé, and released July 31 on the DisneyPlus streaming service. The work is inspired by music also performed by Beyoncé in Disney’s 2019 remake of the animated film The Lion King and features an all-black cast of actors, musicians as well as behind-the-scenes personnel.
Beyoncé’s movie-album has been referred to by certain critics as a “masterpiece” and holds an overall rating of 98 percent on film aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 55 reviews. The formulaic film follows a loose coming-of-age narrative starring a young African prince (played by Folajomi Akinmurele).
According to interviews, Beyoncé was inspired to create Black is King after learning about the plight of the South African composer Solomon Linda, who was the original writer of the 1960s international hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” According to one account, Beyoncé wanted “to tell the real story of what happened and show Africa in its regalness and its beauty, because we weren’t always slaves.”
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