Well, what is the concept behind Black is King? THE MEANING BEHIND BLACK IS KING Yes, Beyoncé has just released another masterpiece and I'm here With a fresh review of all the meanings and references. It was a huge challenge to analyze each frame of the movie.
I spent days and nights researching a lot So if you'd like to support my work by subscribing and sharing this video. I'll appreciate it. Without futher ado, now I wanna share with you guys, everything I found.
So, finally: What's the concept behind Black is King? Through her third visual album, Beyoncé basically wants to change the perception of what it is to be black. Unfortunately, racism makes being black to be seen as a synonym of being poor, unintelligent, ugly, worthless.
. . But Beyoncé wants to remember that, before colonization and slavery, people in Africa existed full of wealth and proud of their culture and their beuaty.
She wants to remind us that our history did not begin in the senzalas (slave quarters) of America. But on the thrones of Africa. She worked for over a year with a group of African directors, musicians and artists.
And shot in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, London, Belgium and the United States. All this so she could give us a GIFT, a way back to motherland, MAMA AFRICA! Retelling the classic movie The Lion King, we will see a metaphor of the growing up process of black men.
Through the movie, we will be searching for our culture self-esteem and ancestry. So everyone can remember that we are not descendants of slaves, but of AFRICAN KINGS. Some people were bothered by the absence of images of hunger and misery, but it must be understood that the aim of the project is exactly to break this stereotype of an Africa that only has poverty.
If in Lemonade she focused on racism, here on Black is King she wants to focus on black culture. Thus, she not only creates one of the biggest and better representations that the african continent ever had, but she also gives platform for a bunch of african artists. Despite all that, Beyoncé also manages to bring The Lion King to the present days.
Not only recreating the original scenes, but re-imagining its narrative and bringing issues that really matters for this generation. Discussing representation, self-esteem and black masculinity. Black Is King begins with the song BIGGER, that represents the birth of the king.
The movie begins with the voice of a black man saying that he doesn't feel like a king and self-assured. A basket appears being carried by the river. We see images from different places on the african continent.
The desert, the savannas, the tropical part, showing all the Africa sides that exist within itself. The basket moves along the river, through turbulent waters. Later, we will see that this basket takes a baby who ends up meeting its mother again.
That is why the waters of the river turns into the ocean and the camera follows the sea until we reach the coast, then we see Beyoncé, the representation of MOTHER AFRICA. . The way back to motherland that the artist will provide to all black people around the world.
Beyoncé here also reminds us of Iemanjá, the queen of the sea orixá, mother of all the others orixás. symbol of the female progenitor power, the universal motherhood, mother of the world. Beyoncé is holding a baby while we hear her reciting a poem.
At the end of the movie, the credits reveal that just as in Lemonade, the poems are by Somali writer: Warsan Shire She says: Yes, she already starts the movie referencing Nina Simone, that in 1959 released the song: Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair She offers the child to be smoked by two priests in white. According to Ana Beatriz Almeida, a master in history and art aesthetics from USP's Museum of Contemporary Art, it makes reference to the ritual of the birth of the Zulu ethnic group. The Zulus are in a large part of Africa, He has a painting similar to what men in the male initiation ritual of the Xhosa people use, also from South Africa.
A tradition of centuries where young boys go on a journey to become men. So in my interpretation this man symbolizes the spirit of this young king who will go through a journey of maturing throughout the entire movie Beyonce takes the baby while we see several women in line. He is baptized along with other children.
Meanwhile, we hear the lyrics of Bigger, that says: "If you feel insignificant, you better think again The lyrics of BIGGER have several meanings. The first refers to understandingthat we are part of something bigger, the creation, the universe, our higher self that is the sum of us all. Beyoncé says that we're bigger than the picture they painted us to be.
That we should stand up, know that we are excellent. So the lyrics are also an invitation to raise our self-esteem and believe in ourselves even though racism make us feel less and excluded. She also says that we are fighting for something bigger, showing that we all get bigger when we mobilize around the anti-racist cause.
Beyoncé appears in blue full of gold in a waterfall, making reference to Oxum. After all, this is the color used to represent this orixá in her city in Nigeria, Osogbo. Then a traditional Zulu palace is shown, where we see leaders from different African peoples.
On the throne, we see Simba and Mufasa wearing leopard and antelope skins, which are the royal garments of this tribe made from animals feared by hunters. Simba's crown resembles the one used by Shaka Zulu, hero of this people whose story became a movie in South Africa. In the background we see the symbol of the album The Gift, which represents the battle between Simba and Scar, light and darkness, good and evil as a natural part of the circle of life.
Beyoncé appears on a horse using two horns. According to Beyoncé's hairdresser, Neal Farinah, the hairdo here makes reference to the women of Dinka and Mursi who use horns and lip discs as symbols of prestige and honor. She can also represent the buffalo woman, that in mythology was the mother of the true lion king, founder of the Mali empire and great-great-grandfather of Mansa Musa.
African king who was the richest man in history and is quoted throughout this movie. Another possible interpretation is a reference to the ancient egyptian goddess Hathon, the mother goddess who created and maintains all life on earth, the goddess of heaven, fertility, music and dance. An old woman in the clothes of Sangoma, an oracle of the Zulus appears painting Simba white for another ritual.
In the background we see Beyoncé as Virgin Mary, Just one more way of saying that Beyoncé here represents the mother who created everything. Beyoncé appears again as Mama Africa guiding the boy to another ceremony as she takes us to the next song: In this song, Beyoncé explores ancestry. She says: The great kings were here long before us.
Ancient masters of celestial love. In this moment we see images of galaxies that turn into men. wearing Dogon masks of the Mali people.
These masks are used in rituals that seek to transport the souls of the dead to the spiritual plane. They are a people with a great astronomical knowledge and they believe that human beings came from the stars. Their presence in the movie marks the importance of understanding our connection with our ancestors.
Right after that, Mufasa is teaching a lesson to Simba, who receives a chess piece from his father. It's a reminder of who he really is: a king. Mufasa tells Simba to look up to the stars, because the great kings of the past are there.
While he says this, several women appear on the screen in the desert, wearing shiny clothes. As if they were stars living on a distant planet. Then we see the scene that became the cover of the movie, a young black man floating in space.
Here we will see how human beings are created in the culture of the Dogon people, coming from the stars. Then we will see Beyoncé wearing several looks of african designers, representing stars. This part, in particular, has an afro-futuristic aesthetic, which is basically a movement that imagines the future through an african perspective and not eurocentric.
It was officially initiated with the jazzist, pianist, poet and african-american philosopher Sun Ra. The king's spirit appears dancing, brighter than ever as he connects with his ancestry. The star finally falls to earth and gains a human body.
So Beyoncé takes off her starry cloak and reveals her body. On the lyrics of Find Your Way Back, Beyoncé uses the metaphor of a father who teaches his son the way home to talk about the need of us to find our purpose again in moments that life makes us lose ourselves. More than that, it is an invitation for black people to find their way back to their ancestral home, Africa!
Simba appears with his family in front of his house while men do the war dance of the Zulu tribe. Then we see Scar playing a drum that has red and pointed horns. Some people are seeing it as a representation of Exu.
Here in Brazil he has been demonized and associated with the devil by religious racism. The fact is that Exu is the most human of the orixás, he has qualities and flaws like all of us. No orixá is bad, because the orixás are a representation of nature and everything in nature is important and necessary for the circle of life.
Exu is the owner of the crossroads, the paths, the dynamic principle of life, the vital energy that moves and transforms. Not by accident, his appearance brings conflict to history. We see images of what seems to be a periphery of todays Africa Simba appears in one of the streets and a monkey calls him, drawing him into a dark shed.
Lord Afrixana, an Afrobeat artist from Ghana, appears in white with a snake. He approaches Simba and asks what he is afraid of, while mama Africa watches from afar. He can be seen as a reference to Oxumaré, orixá always represented by a snake.
Oxumaré is the guardian of wealth and fortune, that's why iwe will see Simba being seduced by money wearing expensive clothes and jewelry. The title of this song can be translated as DON'T JEALOUS ME that reinforces the feeling of greed and ambition. This song also has the featuring of Yemi Alade, Nigerian singer of Afropop.
Scar appears showing what he also envies: Mufasa's throne. Simba decides to enter the dark path of greed and ambition. Then Scar's bikers invade the tribe on their red bikes.
Simba brings them in after being bought by luxury and money. The bikes rule the kingdom while people from the tribe flee into the forest. Mufasa watches what is happening, disappointed.
The horns of the motorcycles are also an explicit reference to the film Touki Bouki, The Journey of the Hyena, a 1973 movie from Senegal. They represent the hyenas and buffaloes of the original movie, because just like there, they are responsible for Mufasa's death. To save his son from being hit by one of the motorcycles, it is the king himself who got hitten.
In this moment the song SCAR begins, sung by Jessie Reyes, a canadian singer and songwriter of black and colombian descent. In the song, she tries to reproduce Scar's point of view, who finally conquers the throne and throws his coat over it. He tells the young king to run away and never return.
We see a coffin being taken on a total white scene, they're probably carrying Mufasa's dead body. In several African cultures it is very common to use white instead of black, at funerals. As we can see in this funeral, in Uganda.
Beyonce says that a true king never dies, because our ancestors keep us alive in our bodies. The king's spirit looks down and sad, reflecting while watching the view. Mother Africa appears again singing the song, NILE Beyoncé also appears in a boat on the river, after all this song talks about the Nile River, african river which is the most extensive in the world.
Beyoncé now appears being held and also in white, commanding the funeral. While 6 men carry the body towards a white construction, that represents the astral plane. According to Aza Njeri, a doctor of African philosophies, Beyoncé is now representing Oyá Igbalé, a yoruba orixá who wears white and leads the spirits to the world of the dead.
For the dogon people, portrayed at the beginning of the movie with the masks, there are four ancestral spirits. That's why four women in white are on top of this structure. In the meantime, we hear a black man saying that at the end of the day, he doesn't know his native language and so he can't think for himself, speak for himself, be himself and really know himself.
Basically a reflection of European imperialism that through colonization and slavery erased the culture of black people and forced them to assimilate languages, religions and cultures of the dominant group. In this chapter we explore death also in a metaphorical way. Mufasa's death represents also the death of all our ancestral knowledge.
Black people had their registers burned after being kidnapped and enslaved in America. Losing all knowledge about the countries they came from, their ancestors, their original culture. It is this disconnection from our own history that often makes us feel like we don't fit anywhere.
Just like in the classic version of the movie, we see vultures flying in the sky while Simba is unconscious. This is the time for the song MOOD 4 EVA (or Hakuna Matata). When Simba will try to escape his responsibilities by fleeing to the world of dreams.
In other words, this music video happens only on Simba's head and not on reality. We see a mustang taking Simba and being drived by a man wearing a Dogon mask. It has a leopard print, a royal distinction for the Zulus.
In this moment, we hear Timon and Pumbaa teaching Hakuna Matata to our little boy. That basically means to ignore yourv problems and enjoy life. A very nihilistic logic where life has no meaning and what matters is to just have fun.
As in the movie, we see a transition to an adult Simba, here portraied by Jay Z in a luxury car. Jay-Z arrives at a mansion, which is not just any mansion: it's a Beverly Hills' mansion where Whitney Houston, one of the greatest black artists of all time, shot her highly acclaimed movie: The Bodyguard. We see a luxurious room, where servants play violin to awake Beyoncé.
This is a reference to another north american movie that also talks about african royalty: "Coming to America", by Eddie Murphy. In the movie he's also awaken by his servants playing violin. Beyoncé and Simba wear a sleep mask written "mood", code for the song Mood 4 EVA.
The mood of just closing your eyes forever to all problems and just enjoy life. Jay-Z arrives at the mansion and we can see that all the servants, from his driver to the butlers are white. This has been a subject of debates and controversy, with Beyoncé even receiving accusations of reverse racism.
I believe Beyoncé just wanted to tease the viewers, people who are used to seeing black people in these position but get mad when seeing the opposite. Why there's no such thing when soap operas, tv shows and movies represent black people only in subordinate positions? Why don't people go to the mall and try to loook around to realize that the security guard, the cleaners and everyone who's serving you, are all black?
If it bothers that much to see only people of certain color serving, this should work for all colors Inside the mansion we see several black people wearing leopard and zebra print, just like Beyoncé. Showing that they're all royalty. In this moment Beyoncé will question the stereotypes that only shows a poor and miserable Africa.
She comes to show that Africa is also a synonym of wealth. Inside the mansion we also see several works of black artists. We see a painting by Derrick Adams, famous north american visual artist.
One by Conrad Egyr, ghanaian visual artist; A paint of Donald Glover; And also another representation of Beyoncé as Virgin Mary. This time, with her 3 kids and receiving grammys from angels. She appears reading newspaper next to her butler with a bird, it can be a reinterpretation of the moment in the original movie where the bird Zazu gives the morning bulletin to Mufasa.
In the lyrics, Beyoncé quotes Dikembe Mutombo, an african man from Congo who became a basketball star in the US and decided to fight for improving life of poor people in Africa. Jay-Z looks at a chessboard that the butler holds, thinking about his next move. He controls the black chess pieces, of course.
He can be seen several times inside the mansion, racking his brain, trying to think a way of winning the white pieces. Now we see Beyoncé and Jay Z together at the mansion and there's a close shot of their hands together, focusing on their wedding ring. showing that since Lemonade they're stronger than ever.
On their side we can see black panthers sculptures. Making reference to the famous revolutionary political party, that on the 60's fought against racism and capitalism. On another "Come to America" reference, Beyoncé and Simba have their teeth brushed by servants.
Their teeth shines, just like grillz, a tooth accessory that became popular in the 80's among hip hop singers. On the lyrics, Jay Z mentions Nelson Mandela, former South Africa president and leader on the fight against apartheid. He also mentions Fela Kuti, Nigerian musician pioneer of Afrobeat.
He says he is on his jet and he's so rich that it is like he is Mansa Musa reincarnated. The richest man in history according to Times Magazine. His holdings were worth U$ 400 billion.
Jay-Z praises him for being the first black billionaire, first one that was able to live outside the housing estates. It is good to remember that the concentration of income is directly linked to racism. But just as white people in Europe can be proud of a history full of nobles and kings, Beyoncé and Jay-Z wants to remind us that black people also have this right.
That we aren't descendants of enslaved people, but of kings. Jay-Z says he feels like Prince, Michael Jackson and Biggie Smalls on the years they were having great success. releasing their albums Purple Rain, Off The Wall and Life After Death.
Now Beyoncé is shown reading the book Black Gods and Kings, written by Robert Farris Thompson, professor of art and history at Yale University. He is an expert in afro-american art and in the book he talks about Yoruba culture. It was probably from it that Beyoncé got all these references to make this masterpiece.
The next scene was probably shot in London, and shows several rich black women drinking some tea. Along with them are her mother, Tina Knowles, and Kelly Rowland. Beyoncé shows her power by saying that she is Nala, the character from the movie she has dubbed; Oxum, the orixá of prosperity and wealth she has been honoring since the album Lemonade; and the Queen of Sheba, a very powerful ancient monarch quoted in the Bible, the Koran, and the Torah.
Beyoncé enters a nightclub with her husband, wrapped in black light. This seems to be a reference to the movie Belly from 1998 directed by black director Hype Williams. The spirit of the young king is still there, but he is standing still and not dancing as before.
Despite all wealth, he is more and more lifeless. Simba is still dreaming, now he got cool swimming goggles. In his dreams a group of swimmers are diving in the pool of the mansion.
This is Jamaica Syncro, a group that is fighting for their country, Jamaica, to have a synchronized swimming group for the first time in the Olympics. This swimming scene is a clear reference to the north american musical comedy Bathing Beauty, from 1944 We also see several classy black people eating and talking. It's interesting to note that they eat using their hands, something very common in countries like Ethiopia.
Jay-Z appears holding a tennis racquet next to golf balls, sports usually played by rich people, It is noticeable that despite all the luxury, Jay Z is always serious, never smiling. As impressive as the wealth life is, it doesn't fill him. Despite all the luxury, the king's spirit remains still, with no energy.
All this consumerism feeds his body but not his soul. In a way, Beyoncé invites us to understand that seeking only financial success by alienating oneself from problems and forgetting the ones you love, does not bring happiness. Beyoncé appears next to her husband, who is having dinner.
On TV he sees scenes of himself younger. There he holds the king's chess piece, a gift from his father to remember who he really is. Scar beats his rings watching the boy with envy and then starts to play the drum, scaring the boy and making him release the piece, that falls into the water.
Jay-Z's chess game is now personified, represented by two black families. Beyoncé obviously plays as Queen B, the queen of the board. As the families face each other, we hear voices of two men talking about darkness and light, duality, balance between good and evil.
Both always come together on a constant exchange, that it's not always a battle, sometimes it's a conversation. That's when we realize that this chess game represents a mental battle in Simba's head, about which path to take and who he really is. In the end, Simba remembers playing chess with his father, while a man says: you are the king.
The boy holds the piece, finally remembering his true identity, and then, he wakes up. And just like everyone, forgets everything about the dream. Years go by, and we see an urban landscape, probably Lagos, most populous city of Nigeria.
We see the night life happening, people gathering on the streets, while we hear a man saying: Our brothers and sisters are walking around with their crowns on their back pockets because of an environment of repression. This phrase is a metaphor for how the racist structure prevents black people from really reigning. Their crowns are not in their heads but hidden in their back pockets.
Black people around the world have their potential restrained because of racial and economic oppression. That's when we finally see Simba in his real adult version. We can see this is him because the reflection of the king as a kid appears in the mirror.
He has been away from his tribe for years and has forgotten who he really is. Just like black people around the world that don't even know who their African ancestors are. He arranges himself, finds a friend and says goodbye.
The two go out together in a hyped car with LED lights and releasing smoke through the night. Beyoncé is inside the car as the song JA ARA E begins, sung by Burna Boy, nigerian singer and songwriter. Women caress Simba, he is trying to reproduce his dream of of MOOD 4 EVA in real life.
Trying to fill his emptiness with pleasure, consumism and lust. He just wants to have fun and be irresponsible, but what he doesn't realize is that this destructive behavior is leading him towards his own death. After all, they're a riding a hearse car.
In the lyrics, the singer advises Simba to grow up, to be wise, not to hesitate about his responsibilities, to be strong and exceptional like Ogun. Ogun is the war orixá, who uses his sword to open paths and defeat his enemies. An orixá who is not afraid to defend what is his.
This unhealthy lifestyle will lead Simba to an encounter with other two orixás. Your friend suddenly turns into Exu, who beats his rings. Exu is an orixá messenger, an intermediary being between human beings and gods.
And then Omolu appears! Orixá that is always represented covered with straw, approaches them and climbs in the car. He is the healer orixá, and appears in times of sickness, especially epidemics, to bring healing.
It's quite symbolic that probably the most popular representation of Omolu in pop culture comes in the midst of a pandemic situation, right? I'm even gonna read this part of his story that's on the book Mythology of the Orixás to show you guys how much is related to the days we're living right now. "At that time a plague infested the world.
People were dying everywhere. All the villages were burying their dead bodies. Omolu cured everyone, kept the plague away" Let's hope that this homage that Beyoncé made to Omolu helps us find the covid vaccine.
Omolu usually appears at times linked to death and illness, because these are the moments we need health. This may symbolize that this life of endless fun and pleasure is putting Simba's life in danger. Simba runs away while Exu holds the king's chess piece.
And then Simba wakes up as if it was a nightmare. That's when ALREADY's music video begins. And it happens only in Simba's head.
On the mental plane. In this moment, he will finally remember he is a king. It starts with Beyoncé saying: Through this phrase, Beyoncé talks about one of the obstacles for black people to really feel like kings: The lack of representation.
Since the superheroes, the soap opera stars, the businessmen, and intellectuals we see are mostly white, it's hard for black people to see themselves in those spaces. On the top of the tree, we see the ancestral spirits of several other black people covering their eyes, not being able to see their full potential. Blinded by the racist structure, they can't see their own beauty, intelligence and potential.
For several peoples of Africa of the Bantu origin, the trees are the home of our ancestral spirits. Here in Brazil the tree is represented in candomblé as Iroko, the orixá of time. Maybe that's why the lake is frozen, note because of the cold but because time has stopped.
After all, we're in Simba's head. We got to the point in the movie where we hear Simba talking to Rafiki, who wonders who he really is. The spirit of the young king appears, lost.
Then we see Beyoncé in a shed with other black women. Her hairstyle resembles a crown shaped by Bantu coconuts, with an Ankh on top, an Egyptian cross symbol of life. She, who for most of the movie represents Mama Africa, starts to sing, saying: As soon as he listen to his mother, the king's spirit comes to life and starts to dance again.
This musci video is a invitation for all black men, through their connection to their african ancestry, to recover their self-esteem and remember how fucking awesome they are. That is why we see different african men being portrayed. Beyoncé resurfaces as the buffalo woman, mother of the lion king that we saw at the beginning.
So that he can remember where he came from, how strong he is and how a part of the royalty he is. Who also shows up is Shatta Wale. a singer, composer, businessman and superstar from Ghana, He's shown on a throne, showing the king that he also is.
He also appears on a horse being covered by a parasol, another royal symbol in several african cultures. On the outskirts of Ghana we see various spirits of black people dancing, reviving and remembering who they really are. That's when Beyoncé comes flawless, wearing Loza Maléombho BRAZILIAN designer.
Mama Africa went in person to revive the spirit of Simba through dance. She also appears jumping along with a bunch of black men. Another way of showing the same thing; black men finding their strength again.
Shatta Wale appears with other black men holding the flag of his country, Ghana. We quickly cross several branches of trees that also resemble neurons, reaffirming the idea that this music video portrays a process of Simba's mind. Images of black men spinning in cars appears.
This is Spinning, the official sport of South Africa's suburbs where crowds gather to see fearless dudes raising clouds of dust, spinning cars. Another way to show the bravery of these black men. Beyoncé is also spinning with a gold head accessory that according to her hairdresser Neal Farinah, is inspired by egyptian royalty.
Most people don't remember but the pharaohs were the african kings of e egyptian empire. one of the biggest of antiquity that lasted for over 3,000 years. They used these accessories made of gold on their heads as a way of showing their power.
Now we see black men in suits, jumping. It looks like doing a traditional dance of Kenya's Maasai warriors It is a way for the young men of the tribe to show their strength by showing who jumps higher. Finally ehe american flag in pan-african colors appears being waved in the crowd.
Pan-Africanism is a movement that seeks to unite all african and african diaspora populations as a way to enhance their voice. Basically Beyoncé, through this song is saying that all black men are kings ALREADY. They just need to remember this through intercontinental union and reconnection with their African ancestry.
And then my favorite song begins: WATER! That we're going to review on the next video. To understand the meaning behind the rest of the album, don't forget to subscribe to this channel and hit the bell so you can be notified when I post the second part.
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