If you haven’t watched “Black Is King” yet, proceed with caution.
The moment the Hive and all of its affiliates have all been waiting for is finally here. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter’s “Black Is King” made its debut on Disney Plus on Friday, July 31. This is Beyonce’s third visual album based on her soundtrack album “The Lion King: The Gift” for the 2019 remake of the Disney film of the same name.
“Black Is King” is an 85-minute film written and executive produced by the songstress herself over the course of a year. The film features a diverse cast and crew from various locations where the film was shot, including New York, Los Angeles, South Africa, West Africa, London and Belgium. Aside from a group of high-profile African and American musicians, top fashion designers and video directors, the film also features members of Beyoncé’s immediate family and special appearances by Tierra Whack, Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Campbell, Shatta Wale, Pharrell Williams and many more. There is also a notable supporting role from her daughter Blue Ivy.
Simply put, “Black is King” is a contemporary reimagining of the story of “The Lion King” across several countries and three continents, following a human Simba’s journey with Beyoncé as the ethereal narrator and guide.
The 24-time Grammy Award winner has never shied away from fully immersing her viewers into the Black experience, something she has exemplified in her previous works, including her Netflix documentary “Homecoming.” However, “Black Is King” may just have set the bar to newer heights as it relates to shining the spotlight on the African diaspora — as fans on social media clearly and quickly noted.
The star celebrated the beauty, wealth and culture of Black people. One Twitter user pointed out a popular dance from Uganda featured in the film writing, “Ugandans am I bugging or is Beyonce doing mazina Maganda?!”
Many replied to the tweet confirming that it was, in fact, the dance with one user jokingly saying, “I tell you Beyonce know your culture more than you guys.”
Check out some of the other reactions, including one fan who tweeted, “Beyonce just turns up every few years and reinvents the visual albums.” They added, “Sets the bar HIGHER. THE AUDACITY. #BlackIsKing.”
Another fan gave the global superstar her flowers, tweeting, “I don’t ever want to hear that Beyonce is overrated this woman has been doing this for more than 20 years and still manages to outdo herself every f—king time, always better concepts, better ideas, better visuals.” They quipped, “BOW DOWN TO THE QUEEN.”
Meanwhile, one fan joked about watching the film without her daughter. “I’m going to wait to watch #BlackIsKing with my daughter. But she’s not home at the moment, so it may be a couple days,” she tweeted before adding, “But I don’t think she’ll notice if I watch it before her.”
Check out some of the other reactions to “Black Is King” below.
Beyoncé first teased the album trailer on YouTube on July 19, in a video that has already garnered more than 2.7 million views. You can also watch the video for one of the tracks from the film, “Already,” featuring Shatta Wale and Major Lazer on Beyoncé’s official YouTube channel or down below.
