The Lion King: The Gift
The Lion King: The Gift (often referred to as simply The Gift) is a soundtrack album created by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé from Disney's 2019 photorealistic computer-generated imagery remake of The Lion King[3][4][5] and for Black Is King (2020). It was released on July 19, 2019, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.[1] The album was also produced by Beyoncé and features artists such as Wizkid, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, Tiwa Savage, Tekno, Yemi Alade, Busiswa, Moonchild Sanelly, and Salatiel, as well as appearances from Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter, Childish Gambino, Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Tierra Whack, 070 Shake, and Jessie Reyez, among others.[6][7]
The Lion King: The Gift
Commercial performance[edit]
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.[45]
It became Beyoncé's second top 10 debut of 2019 (following Homecoming: The Live Album) and third top 10 album of 2019 (after Lemonade re-entered the Billboard 200 chart following its wide streaming release). It is also the ninth top 10 album of Beyoncé's solo career.[46]
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.[47][48]
Following the release of Black Is King in July 2020, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 at number ten.[49]
Impact[edit]
African musicians and producers who worked on The Lion King: The Gift, amongst others, have spoken about the impact they predict the album will have on African music in the United States. Ghanaian producer GuiltyBeatz said "Now that Beyoncé released a whole album [of African music], 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".[50] 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."[51] 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."[52] Bloomberg's Anthony Osae-Brown stated that with The Lion King: The Gift, Beyoncé is taking the "Nigeria music scene global".[53] 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.[54]
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,[55][56] as well as people encouraging their young family members to be proud of their skin.[57][58] Celebrities including Ava DuVernay, Barbara Lee, Gabrielle Union and Lupita Nyong'o participated in the trend.[59] Several thinkpieces and articles were also produced in response to "Brown Skin Girl".[60][61][62]
Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift[edit]
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.[63] A trailer was released the same day to promote the documentary.[64] Airing nearly two 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.[65]
Deluxe edition[edit]
On July 31, 2020, alongside the release of Black Is King, Beyoncé released a deluxe edition of the album. The album includes all the tracks included in the film in addition to three new tracks. This includes the standard and extended versions of "Black Parade", which was released on June 19; the extended version of the song was only available on Tidal up until the album's release. The other track included is a remix of "Find Your Way Back" by MeLo-X.