Beyoncé finally dropped her highly anticipated new project, Black Is King (on Disney+). The project is deemed “a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience” in a press release.
If you hit her website you will notice that Black Is King includes a cast of familiar faces, such Lupita Nyong’o, Kelly Rowland, Pharrell Williams and JAY-Z, and
according to NPR moves across the world — New York, Los Angeles, South Africa, West Africa, London, and Belgium — to capture the performances of actors and dancers as they appear in varied tableaus.
Beyonce directed and produced the album over the course of a year teasing the album trailer on YouTube on July 19, in a video that has already racked up more than 2.7 million views. Today she dropped the video for “Already” featuring Shatta Wale and Major Lazer.
Watch below:
The video has the same theme of celebrating the black experience specifically rooted in African counties like Ghana and Nigeria, reminding us that we are already Kings and royalty. The entire song is dedicated to that sentiment.
Remember who you are, ooh
Real king always win, oh
Give up your bread, oh
I’ll show your people my love
It’s time already, I say it’s time already
The line already, I say, line already
Only you got the remedy, I say you got the remedy
Shine your body, shine your body
Via NPR: The last time we heard from Queen Bey was with the surprise-drop of her celebratory new track, “Black Parade,” on Juneteenth.
The song asserts a specific connection to Blackness, and through a myriad of references, draws a link to the African diaspora that she has more recently begun to explore in her work.
In the context of Black Is King, this connection is paramount, as the film seeks to capture a global sense of Blackness, within and beyond the U.S.
Few have as much narrative-bending power as Beyoncé, who sent shockwaves through the canon with 2016’s Lemonade.
In 2018, Kiana Fitzgerald wrote for NPR that “Bey’s ability to have laser-focused attention on the Black experience didn’t happen overnight: It took years for her to amass a following first.
She then constructed a platform strong enough from which to make such bold statements. And since Lemonade, Bey has continued to make a concerted effort to put Black bodies in her visuals, and call attention to the importance of Black women and Black love.”
With that said let’s talk about the black artists, designers, dancers, and creators Beyonce chose to collab with to bring this project to life.
Of course, Shatta Wale is a big deal for Ghanaians who are so proud to see him literally body the “Already” video.
Beyoncé + Shatta Wale
And here are a few more:
Beyoncé + Trav
Beyoncé + Lozamaleombho
Creative Direction Beyoncé + Kwasi Fordjour:
Beyonce + Papi Ojo
Beyonce + Jamaica_synchro
Beyonce + Yemialade
Beyonce + Destiney Bleu
And of course Beyoncé + Zerin Akers
Proud.
