Beyoncé's Black is King now available to stream on Disney+!

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The day has finally come for both The Lion King fans and Beyoncé fans alike. Queen Bee's highly anticipated concept album slash musical film, Black is King, has now been released on Disney Plus! Subscribers to the streaming service can now gain unlimited access to this tie-in album, which serves as a visual companion to the 2019 album The Lion King: The Gift and The Lion King 2019 live-action remake.

🎥 If you don't already have a subscription to Disney+, click here to subscribe and begin watching Black is King today.


What is Black is King about?

<p><span style="color:#000000">Inspired by the music of<em> The Lion King: The Gift</em>, <em>Black is King </em>follows a young African King, who is disowned by his family and cast away into a treacherous world. He ends up embarking on a journey of self-discovery, betrayal, and love to reclaim his rightful throne, enlisting the help of his ancestors and childhood love to guide him all the way through to the&nbsp;end. The story of <em>Black is King</em> is brilliantly told through the voices of present-day African-Americans and Black people.</span></p>

<br/> Will Black is King be on Spotify?

<p><span style="color:#000000">Beyonc&eacute;&#39;s film <em>Black is King</em>&nbsp;will probably&nbsp;not be released on&nbsp;Spotify due to it being a full-length movie. However, the album that the film is based on, <em>The Lion King: The Gift</em> (2019), is&nbsp;available to stream on the platform. The pop diva also released a deluxe edition of the album today, which&nbsp;can be found on&nbsp;Spotify for your auditory pleasure.&nbsp;</span></p>

<br/> Will Black is King have new music?

<p><span style="color:#000000"><em>Black is King </em>features the new song by&nbsp;Beyonc&eacute; entitled &quot;Black Parade&quot;, which the singer released as a single for the visual album on Juneteenth (19 June 2020), a holiday for celebrating the emancipation of American slaves that originated in&nbsp;Beyonc&eacute;&#39;s home state of Texas. The track was also released in the wake of the<strong> George Floyd</strong> murder that sparked Black Lives Matter&nbsp;protests amidst the coronavirus pandemic. All proceeds from the song will go to&nbsp;help the BeyGOOD&#39;s Black Business Impact Fund. The song &quot;Black Parade&quot; has been included in the deluxe edition of <em>The Gift&nbsp;</em>alongside&nbsp;the previously released hit songs &quot;Mood 4 Eva&quot;, &quot;Brown Skin Girl&quot;, and &quot;My Power&quot;.</span></p>

<br/> How long is Black is King?

<p><span style="color:#000000">The runtime for&nbsp;<em>Black is King</em> is approximately 85 minutes long, making this&nbsp;Beyonc&eacute;&nbsp;film a feature-length outing.</span></p>

<br/> Who stars in Black is King?

<p><span style="color:#000000">The cast of <em>Black is King</em> stars&nbsp;<strong>Beyonc&eacute;</strong> alongside other artists featured on<em> The Lion King: The Gift album</em>, including <strong>Yemi Alade</strong>, <strong>Burna Boy</strong>, <strong>Shatta Wale</strong>, <strong>Wizkid</strong>, and <strong>Salatiel</strong>. Yonc&eacute;&#39;s husband<strong> Jay-Z </strong>and daughter <strong>Blue Ivy </strong>also make an appearance in the film, along with her former Destiny&#39;s Child bandmate<strong>&nbsp;Kelly Rowland</strong>, South African actors <strong>Warren Masemola </strong>and <strong>Nandi Madida</strong>, and Nigerian actor <strong>Papi Ojo</strong>. </span></p> <p><span style="color:#000000">The cast is completed by <strong>Lupita Nyong&#39;o</strong>, <strong>Pharell Williams</strong>, <strong>Tina Knowles-Lawson</strong>, <strong>Naomi Campbell</strong>, <strong>Sir Carter</strong>, <strong>Rumi Carter</strong>, <strong>Aweng Ade-Chuol</strong>, <strong>Folajomi &quot;FJ&quot; Akinmurele</strong>, <strong>Adut Akech</strong>, <strong>Mary Twala</strong>, <strong>Jessie Reyez</strong>, <strong>Connie Chiume</strong>, <strong>Nyaniso Dzedze</strong>, and <strong>Moonchild Sanelly</strong>. </span></p> <p><span style="color:#000000">Archive recordings of <strong>JD McCrary</strong> as Young Simba and <strong>Chiwetel Ejiofor</strong> as Scar also can be seen and heard in the film.</span></p>

<br/> Where was Black is King filmed?

<p><span style="color:#000000">Filming for <em>Black is King</em> took place in late 2019 on location in South Africa, West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana) and in New York, LA, Belgium, and London.</span></p>

<br/> How did Black is King come about?

<p><span style="color:#000000">The development of <em>Black is King</em> has a moving backstory. When the 2019 photorealistic computer-animated remake of Disney&#39;s 1994 film <em>The Lion King</em> was released in cinemas, it was paired with a tie-in album entitled <em>The Lion King: The Gift</em>. The album was curated and produced by none other than&nbsp;Beyonc&eacute;, who dubbed it &quot;a love letter to Africa.&quot;</span></p> <p><span style="color:#000000">The singer-actress sought out &quot;the best talent from Africa&quot; to complete her vision. She believed&nbsp;<em>The Gift&nbsp;</em>&quot;is the first soundtrack where it becomes visual in your mind,&quot;&nbsp;which is why making <em>Black is King</em> was a no-brainer. Each song was carefully crafted to reflect the film&#39;s iconic storytelling and allows the listener to imagine their own imagery whilst hearing something completely contemporary and unique.</span></p>

<br/> Is Black is King any good?

<p><span style="color:#000000">Critical reception of <em>Black is King</em> has been overwhelmingly positive.&nbsp;<strong>Matt Donnelly </strong>of <em>Variety </em>wrote that&nbsp;<strong>Beyonc&eacute;</strong> has&nbsp;pushed&nbsp;&quot;the boundaries of what many have come to expect from the Disney machine&quot; and later called the film&nbsp;&quot;the boldest brand statement ever from Disney&quot; and &quot;the most direct confrontation of a timely societal discussion around racism that Disney Plus has seen.&quot; </span></p> <p><span style="color:#000000"><em>Black is King</em> has also been praised by<strong> David Smyth</strong> of the&nbsp;<em>Evening Standard</em> for its celebration of African ancestry and by&nbsp;<strong>Chant&eacute; Joseph</strong> of <em>The Guardian&nbsp;</em>for speaking to &quot;the beauty and richness of blackness.&quot;</span></p>

<br/> Where to watch Black is King?

<p><span style="color:#000000"><em>Black is King</em> is now available to watch with a valid subscription to&nbsp;Disney Plus. You definitely don&#39;t want to miss this artistic triumph, featuring the spirit of&nbsp;<em>The Lion King&nbsp;</em>in a modern context!</span></p> <div style="background:#eee;border:1px solid #ccc;padding:5px 10px;">🎥&nbsp;<a href="https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/mQQzD"><strong>Subscribe to Disney+ here to begin watching<em> Black is King </em>now</strong></a>!</div>


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By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.