Beyonce’s trailer for her latest visual album Black is King dropped on Sunday and is coming to Disney+ on July 31.

Inspired by her recently released The Lion King: The Gift album, Black is King follows a young king through a journey of self-identity. With the help of his ancestors, he reclaims his home and throne, according to Disney. 

“These timeless lessons are revealed and reflected through Black voices of today, now sitting on their own power,” said Disney. “Black is King is an affirmation of a grand purpose, with lush visuals that celebrate Black resilience and culture. The film highlights the beauty of tradition and Black excellence.”

The trailer features black influential figures such as Kelly Rowland, Lupita Nyong’o, Pharrell Williams, Jay-Z, Naomi Campbell, Tina Knowles-Lawson, Aweng Ade-Chuol, Adut Akech, as well as artists featured on The Gift album.

Among familiar contributors to Beyonce’s work are video director Jake Nava, Pierre Debusschere, Blitz Bazawule, Emmanuel Adjei, Dikayl Rimmasch, Jenn Nkiru and Kwasi Fordjour. Beyonce is also credited as a writer, director and executive producer.

The album was shot in six locations – South Africa, western Africa, New York, Los Angeles, London and Belgium – over the course of a year.

Since the release of Lemonade in 2016, Beyonce has continued to express her political views through music, including the release of her song "Black Parade on Juneteenth", which calls for “peace and reparation for my people”, as said on her website during the launch. Juneteenth is an American holiday celebrating the official end of slavery.

With the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in June, Beyonce wrote on her Instagram that the film was even more relevant with its message of the “breadth and beauty of Black ancestry”.

“I believe that when Black people tell our own stories, we can shift the axis of the world and tell our real history of generational wealth and richness of soul that are not told in our history books.” said Beyonce. (car/kes)

 

 

 

 

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I typically keep comments short and sweet, but I just watched the trailer with my family and I’m excited. 🎶please don’t get me hype🎶🤪 “Black Is King” is a labor of love. It is my passion project that I have been filming, researching and editing day and night for the past year. I’ve given it my all and now it’s yours. It was originally filmed as a companion piece to “The Lion King: The Gift” soundtrack and meant to celebrate the breadth and beauty of Black ancestry. I could never have imagined that a year later, all the hard work that went into this production would serve a greater purpose. The events of 2020 have made the film’s vision and message even more relevant, as people across the world embark on a historic journey. We are all in search of safety and light. Many of us want change. I believe that when Black people tell our own stories, we can shift the axis of the world and tell our REAL history of generational wealth and richness of soul that are not told in our history books. With this visual album, I wanted to present elements of Black history and African tradition, with a modern twist and a universal message, and what it truly means to find your self-identity and build a legacy. I spent a lot of time exploring and absorbing the lessons of past generations and the rich history of different African customs. While working on this film, there were moments where I’ve felt overwhelmed, like many others on my creative team, but it was important to create a film that instills pride and knowledge. I only hope that from watching, you leave feeling inspired to continue building a legacy that impacts the world in an immeasurable way. I pray that everyone sees the beauty and resilience of our people. This is a story of how the people left MOST BROKEN have EXTRAORDINARY gifts.❤️✊🏾 Thank you to Blitz, Emmanuel, Ibra, Jenn, Pierre, Dikayl, Kwasi and all the brilliant creatives. Thank you to all at Disney for giving this Black woman the opportunity to tell this story. This experience has been an affirmation of a grander purpose. My only goal is that you watch it with your family and that it gives you pride. Love y’all, B

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jun 28, 2020 at 8:06pm PDT

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