The Lion King: The Gift


The Lion King: The Gift is a soundtrack album curated by American singer Beyoncé for the 2019 photorealistic animated remake of The Lion King and for Black Is King. It was released on July 19, 2019, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. The album was also produced by Beyoncé and includes appearances from Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter, Childish Gambino, Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Tierra Whack, 070 Shake, and Jessie Reyez, as well as African artists such as Wizkid, Shatta Wale, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, Tiwa Savage, Tekno, Yemi Alade, Busiswa and Salatiel, among others.

Background and release

On July 9, 2019, it was revealed that Beyoncé produced and curated an album titled The Lion King: The Gift, which features new songs inspired by the film, as well as "Spirit" from the soundtrack.
Beyoncé called the album "sonic cinema" and said that the film "is a new experience of storytelling", and that the album "is influenced by everything from R&B, pop, hip hop and Afro beat". Beyoncé also said that " wanted to put everyone on their own journey to link the storyline" and that the songs were inspired by the remake's storyline, which "gives the listener a chance to imagine their own imagery, while listening to a new contemporary interpretation". The songs were also produced by African producers, which Beyoncé said was because "authenticity and heart were important to ", since the film is set in Africa.
The tracklist was revealed through Beyoncé's official website on July 16, 2019.
On September 16, 2019, Beyoncé released a behind-the-scenes TV special, titled Beyoncé Presents: Making the Gift, documenting the album's creation and her journey through Africa, shot in Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, and United States. The documentary was aired on ABC. It was written, directed and produced by Beyoncé alongside co-director Ed Burke, with executive producers Steve Pamon and Erinn Williams.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted average score of 77, based on 13 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Writing for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung describes the album as "a buoyant hybrid of futuristic, cross-Atlantic Afro-pop", adding that the "expertly curated collection is an artistic showcase celebrating Africa and black musical traditions, elevating the movie experience with strategic thematic interludes that could help this album endure far longer than the film." The Lion King: The Gift was chosen as The New York Times's Critic's Pick, with Jon Pareles writing that "Beyoncé flexes both her musicianship and her cultural leverage... It's her latest lesson in commandeering mass-market expectations, as she bends "The Lion King" to her own agenda of African-diaspora unity, self-worth, parental responsibility and righteous ambition." A.D. Amorosi for Variety praises the album as "a wild, wonderful offering dedicated to sounds and soul of the motherland", calling it an "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".
Describing it as an album "that ably displays excellent taste, rather than a great Beyoncé album per se," Alexis Petridis of The Guardian writes that The Lion King: The Gift gives "the dominant Afrobeats sound a vast new level of exposure – an impressive feat in itself". "Beyoncé's Lion King album is the event the movie wishes it could be," writes Carl Wilson of Slate, arguing that The Gift "works best if you forget the remake even exists" and encouraging listeners to "take it more as a new perspective on Beyoncé" since thematically the album "transliterates the leonine royal-family drama and 'circle of life' worldview of into the recent main leitmotif of Beyoncé's own work." "An ambitious companion album that says more than the movie does about family and tradition and responsibility and Africa", writes Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times. "No one takes possession of a cultural space like Beyoncé. We saw it happen in 2016 when she easily outshone Coldplay during its own Super Bowl halftime performance. We saw it happen last year when she remade the world's most prestigious music festival as Beychella. Now we’re seeing it again with Disney's new version of “The Lion King".
Michelle Kim for Pitchfork opines that the album "succeeds in introducing a whole new musical universe to the average American listener". Writing for The Telegraph, Neil McCormick says, "The Gift is a quixotic compilation of tracks", calling the album a "tipping point" for African artists worldwide. Bernadette Giacomazzo of HipHopDX also praised the album, saying that the album "trips the black fantastic" and that many songs were capable of standing independent of the film. Drawing comparisons to the Black Panther soundtrack "down to the Kendrick Lamar appearance," Giacomazzo says that the album is "one of the first Beyoncé albums—such as it were—in which Mrs.Carter's creativity serves as a vector to another creative vision, rather than as the creative vision itself. Overall, it works and is another jewel in her crown — one that she, overall, can be proud to call hers".

Accolades

At the 2019 Soul Train Music Awards, "Spirit" was nominated for Best Video of the Year and Best Dance Performance, while "Brown Skin Girl" was nominated for Best Collaboration and The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award, winning the latter. The Lion King: The Gift has been nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards while "Spirit" has received two nominations: for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Vibe included "The Gift" on their list of the 30 best albums of 2019, while The Fader also included the release on their selections of the best albums of the same year. Both City Pages and Fuse included "The Gift" on their lists of the best albums of 2019, while Brooklyn Vegan listed the soundtrack at number 22 on their ranking of the best rap and R&B albums of the same year.
A list of awards and nominations received by songs from the album The Lion King: The Gift.
AwardNominated WorkCategoryResult
2019 Soul Train Music Awards"Brown Skin Girl"Best Collaboration
2019 Soul Train Music Awards"Brown Skin Girl"Best Collaboration
2019 Soul Train Music Awards"Brown Skin Girl"The Ashford & Simpsons Songwriter's Award
2019 Soul Train Music Awards"Spirit"Best Dance Performance
2019 Soul Train Music Awards"Spirit"Best Video of the Year
2020 62nd Annual Grammy Awards"Spirit"Best Original Song
2020 BET Awards"Brown Skin Girl"BET HER Award
2020 Capri Hollywood International Film Festival"Spirit"Best Original Song
2020 Grammy Awards"Spirit"Best Song Written for Visual Media
2020 Grammy Awards"Spirit"Best Pop Solo Performance
2020 Grammy AwardsThe Lion King: The GiftBest Pop Vocal Album
2020 NAACP Image AwardsThe Lion King: The GiftOutstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album
2020 NAACP Image Awards"Spirit"Outstanding Song – Traditional
2020 NAACP Image Awards"Brown Skin Girl"Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration

Commercial performance

The Lion King: The Gift debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 54,000 album-equivalent units, of which 11,000 were pure album sales.
It became Beyoncé's second top 10 debut of 2019 and third top 10 album of 2019. It is also the ninth top 10 album of Beyoncé's solo career.
On the Billboard genre charts, The Lion King: The Gift debuted at number one on several charts including Top R&B Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Soundtrack Albums and Top World Albums. It became Beyoncé's seventh number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart as a solo artist.

Impact

African musicians and producers who worked on The Lion King: The Gift, amongst others, have spoken about the impact that the album will have on African music in the United States. Ghanaian producer GuiltyBeatz said "Now that Beyoncé released a whole album , this will open the gateway" for those sounds to enter the American market; Nigerian singer Yemi Alade added that the album will be "another awakening". Nigerian producer P2J described how the album is "going to change the face of music", adding that "Brown Skin Girl" is "one of the first songs in my career that I thought was going to be very special... It's a big moment for Africa." South African artist DJ Lag said that the album has "opened doors" for him and that the sound of The Lion King: The Gift is "going to be the next big thing." Bloomberg's Anthony Osae-Brown stated that with The Lion King: The Gift, Beyoncé is taking the "Nigeria music scene global". Director of Urban Music at YouTube Tuma Basa called the release of The Lion King: The Gift "a tipping-point moment", while Nigerian producer E-Kelly said that it "is gonna create a new awareness" and "open a big crack" for Afrobeats to enter American mainstream music.
The track "Brown Skin Girl" inspired a viral trend called "#brownskingirlchallenge", where black women and girls post pictures and videos of themselves in celebration of their skin, as well as people encouraging their young family members to be proud of their skin. Celebrities including Ava DuVernay, Rep. Barbara Lee, Gabrielle Union and Lupita Nyong'o participated in the trend. Several thinkpieces and articles were also produced in response to "Brown Skin Girl".

''Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift''

On September 15, 2019, it was announced a documentary chronicling the development, production and filming of The Lion King: The Gift, entitled Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift, would air on ABC September 16. A trailer was released the same day to promote the documentary. Airing nearly 2 months after the release of the album, Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift was met with a viewership of 2.49 million and "dominated" that night's ratings.

''Black Is King''

On July 31, 2020, the visual album Black Is King premiered globally on Disney+. Produced by Disney and Beyoncé's Parkwood Entertainment, the film is based on the music of The Lion King: The Gift. Black Is King was described by Disney as "a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience. The film is a story for the ages that informs and rebuilds the present. A reunion of cultures and shared generational beliefs. A story of how the people left most broken have an extraordinary gift and a purposeful future". A one-minute teaser trailer for Black Is King was released on June 27 on Beyoncé's official website. The film features various cameos, including by Blue Ivy, Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland and artists featured on the album.

''Deluxe Edition''

On July 31, alongside the release of the visual album Black Is King on Disney +. Beyonce released a deluxe edition of the album for digital download and streaming. The album includes all the tracks included in the film in addition to 3 new tracks. The standard and extended version of "Black Parade" which was released on June 19. The extended version of the song only available on Tidal up until the album’s release, and a remix of Find Your Way Back featuring MeLo-X.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Beyoncé's website. All tracks were produced by Beyoncé and Derek Dixie, except where noted.
Notes
  • signifies a co-producer
  • signifies an additional producer
  • signifies an uncredited additional producer
  • signifies a producer credited on the extended version of the song
  • All song titles are stylized in all caps
  • All interlude titles are stylized in all lowercase
  • "Bigger" features vocals by Raye
  • "Spirit" features background vocals by Labrinth, Ilya, Jamal Moore, Maurice Smith, J Rome, Derrick Charles, DeP, George Young, Vernon Burris, TJ Wilkins, Andre Washington, Mabvuto Carpenter, Jason Morales, Johnny Gilmore, Stevie Notes, Marcus Eldridge, Edward Lawson, and Steve Epting

    Sample credits

  • "Find Your Way Back" contains elements of "Maradona", written by Sarz and performed by Niniola.
  • "Mood 4 Eva" contains elements of "Diaraby Nene" written and performed by Oumou Sangare; contains an interpolation of "Sweet Green Fields" written by Jimmy Seals; contains an interpolation of " About It" written by James Brown.

    Personnel

Credits adapted from Beyoncé's official website.

Musicians

  • Beyoncé – vocals
  • String section
  • * Adrienne Woods, Bianca McClure, Chelsea Stevens, Crystal Alforque, Jonathan Richards, Marta Honer, Rhea Hosanny, Stephanie Matthews, Stephanie Yu, Tahirah Whittington
  • Pino Palladino – bass
  • Courtney Leonard – bass
  • Rod Castro – guitar
  • Ari PenSmith – keyboards
  • Derek Dixie – drums
  • Ilya – drums, keyboards, percussion
  • Labrinth – drums, keyboards, percussion
  • Jeremy Lertola – percussion
  • Jeff Lorber – piano
  • David Fleming – strings

    Production

  • Beyoncé – executive producer
  • Kwasi Fordjour – creative director
  • Derek Dixie – music director

    Charts

Chart Peak
position

Chart Position
Dutch Albums 100
US Soundtrack Albums 18

Release history