With just days to go before ‘The Lion King’ roars in theaters, Beyonce has unveiled the cover and tracklist for her companion compilation project – ‘The Lion King: The Gift.’
Initially announced last week, the set promises to honor the essence of the film and is billed as being a sonic cinema love letter to Africa.
To honor this, Bey has teamed with an eclectic list of the continent’s top names including WizKid, Tiwa Savage, Tekno, Yemi Alade, Mr Eazi, and Burna Boy.
Also featured are rap titans Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z, as well as rising femcee Tierra Whack. ‘Lion King’ co-star Childish Gambino also appears.
What are you waiting for? Check out the tracklist below…
On the project, Beyonce said:
“This is sonic cinema. This is a new experience of storytelling. I wanted to do more than find a collection of songs that were inspired by the film. It is a mixture of genres and collaboration that isn’t one sound. It is influenced by everything from R&B, pop, hip hop and Afro Beat.”
She added:
“I wanted to put everyone on their own journey to link the storyline. Each song was written to reflect the film’s storytelling that gives the listener a chance to imagine their own imagery, while listening to a new contemporary interpretation. It was important that the music was not only performed by the most interesting and talented artists but also produced by the best African producers. Authenticity and heart were important to me.”
‘The Lion King: The Gift’ arrives on July 19th, alongside the film.