Beyonce's new visual album, 'Black Is King' has been released. Written, directed and executive produced by Beyonce, 'Black Is King' had premiered with the Lion King remake as the voice of Nala last year.
The album is inspired by Queen B's music for The Lion King: The Gift. And Beyonce had announced the release of a visual album with a one minute trailer in June 2020.
The visual album is said to highlight, "the voyages of Black families, throughout time." It also focuses on the story of "a young king's transcendent journey through betrayal, love and self-identity. Black Is King is an affirmation of a grand purpose, with lush visuals that celebrate Black resilience and culture."
The music video description also states that, "Black Is King" is a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience."
Although the release has created a lot of buzz on Twitter and other social media platforms, the visual album had come under some fire and criticism a week before its release. Some groups had pointed a finger on the depiction of Black African culture. Jade Bentil, a Black feminist historian and PhD researcher at the University of Oxford, had also tweeted, "The repeated tropes/symbolic gestures that homogenise & essentialise thousands of African cultures in service of securing the terrain for Black capitalist possibilities & futures is tired."
Despite the criticism, the music video 'Already' from the album has garnered positive reviews from fans. Many people have commented things like, "This song makes me proud to be black and born and raised on the African continent. South Africa baby."
Another one commented, "Ummm how are we deserving of her brilliance she's genius, this is everything! I'm here for this and anything else she touches! A true queen "
Given the current racial climate in the US, the theme of the album is quite topical.
