In her seminal song “Formation” (2016), Beyoncé sings, “I might get your song played on the radio station” (Knowles-Carter, 2016). These lyrics may appear to be another set of well-constructed lines at first glance. However, flash forward to the early 2020s, and one cannot help but marvel at how Beyoncé was not simply demonstrating her lyrical talent but foreshadowing her role as a catalyst for emerging African musicians within the global commercial music industry. Beyoncé is no stranger to collaborating with African artists. Her previous projects include the collaboration with Mozambican dance group Tofo Tofo, who feature on “Run the World (Girls)” (2011), the sampling of an extract from Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2012 TedTalk on “Flawless” (2013) and at various live performances, and the incorporation of poetry in Lemonade (2016) written by Kenyan author Warsan Shire. Beyoncé recently collaborated with the Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems on the song “Move” (2022) from the Renaissance (2022) album. However, Beyoncé’s most significant collaboration with African artists, to date, has been within the visual album Black Is King (2020).
Black Is King is a celebration of Africa, its people and diaspora. The visual album is framed within the narrative of The Lion King (2019) and depicts a journey of self-identity and self-discovery. This journey is a metaphor for the African diaspora’s rediscovery and reclamation of African traditions (Ealey, 2021; Hobson, 2021; Xaso, 2020). Black Is King incorporates elements of Afrofuturism to portray Black identities beyond narratives of pain, bring African art forms to the forefront of global popular culture, and highlight the cultural diversity of Africa and its people. Musically, the visual album is a rich tapestry of African and African-inspired music. Styles such as Gqom (South Africa) and Afrobeats (Nigeria) are infused within the visual album. Beyond the music alone, Beyoncé includes the artists who actively produce these styles of music, such as Salatiel (Cameroon), WizKid (Nigeria), Busiswa (South Africa), Shatta Wale (Ghana), Yemi Alade (Nigeria) and Moonchild Sanelly (South Africa). Following Beyoncé’s collaboration with these artists, their visibility within the global commercial music industry has increased. In a tweet following the premiere of Black Is King, Shatta Wale shared, “Thank you My Queen [Beyoncé] for believing in my talent and giving me a platform to share my good message to the world…”, while Moonchild Sanelly recently tweeted, “I love Beyoncé… My life has never been the same…”. In no way should one assume that Beyoncé is the reason behind the success of these artists. Instead, Beyoncé’s role in exposing her fans and audiences to these artists should be acknowledged.
Following the release of Black Is King, several debates on Beyoncé’s celebration of Africa and her incorporation of African artists and music styles circulated in popular culture spaces. Opinions ranged from elaborate praise to blatant criticism. A critique surrounding the visual album is that “Beyoncé is appropriating Africa and African music styles”, a valid response by those whose cultures were portrayed in the visual album. However, one must also acknowledge that Beyoncé – in collaboration with a team of directors, actors, musicians, choreographers, stylists, make-up artists, researchers and film crews from different African cultures and ethnicities – appreciates the African genres and art forms portrayed in the visual album. There is a fine line between appropriation and appreciation. The belief that Beyoncé is on the side of appreciation is rooted in the fact that she includes African artists (and all other creative personnel) in the visual album and gives them the space to do what they do best. Moreover, as an African American, Beyoncé has used this creative practice to celebrate and explore her African roots.
In recent years, African artists have rightfully begun to take up their place within the global commercial music industry. Beyond Beyoncé’s Black Is King, African artists recently dominated the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) soundtrack; these include DBN Gogo, Sino Msolo (South Africa), Tems, Fireboy DML and CKay (Nigeria), to name a few. A movie set within a fictional African country would likely feature a soundtrack with music inspired by African styles. What is more important, though, is that the musicians who regularly produce and popularise these styles feature on the soundtrack. This recognition is critical in our current age, considering that many African artists have fallen victim to their music being stolen by Western musicians and record labels (case in point is the tragic story of Solomon Linda referenced by Beyoncé on Black Is King).[1] African music styles, such as Amapiano (South Africa), Afrobeats and Gqom, have taken the world by storm and are gaining recognition at various global music award shows (Osha, 2022; Paradza, 2022).
There is an abundance of research on the role that Beyoncé’s music plays as a vehicle for feminist awareness. When considering her worldwide platform, many researchers have concluded that Beyoncé makes feminism visible within society by incorporating feminist themes into her music (Halliday & Brown, 2018; Hamad & Taylor, 2015; Hobson, 2017; Weidhase, 2015).[2] Similarly, by featuring various emerging African artists in her projects, Beyoncé has catalysed their careers in the global commercial music industry. However, just like any catalytic action that first needs something to action, Beyoncé has not made these artists’ careers; they were great musicians before their collaborations with Beyoncé, who merely got their songs played on the “radio station”.
[1] Solomon Linda originally improvised the song “Mbube” in 1939. However, it was stolen by Western musicians, and the lyrics were changed to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. This version subsequently became one of the most popular songs of the late 20th century, but Solomon Linda received no recognition for his work.
[2] Beyoncé has also received equal amounts of criticism towards her feminist methods, as they have been perceived by some scholars as overly sexualised and in line with the male gaze.
James Chikomborero Paradza (he/him) is a Doctor of Music (Musicology) candidate in the School of the Arts: Music, University of Pretoria, South Africa. He completed the degrees Master of Music (Performing Art) (2020) and Bachelor of Music (2019) at the University of Pretoria (both with distinction). In his doctoral project, he explores intersectionality in Beyoncé’s music and perceptions thereof in South Africa. James has presented his research at various conferences on gender and sexuality, social activism, the humanities, popular music and musicology. He has written articles for The Conversation Africa and appeared on the BBC Focus on Africa radio show. James is a proud member of the Beyhive!
Social media links:
Instagram: @jameschikomboreroparadza
X: @jamesparadza
LinkedIn: James Chikomborero Paradza
Email: james.paradza@up.ac.za
References
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Halliday, A. S., & Brown, N. E. (2018). The power of black girl magic anthems: Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, and “Feeling Myself” as political empowerment. Souls, 20(2), 222–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999949.2018.1520067
Hamad, H., & Taylor, A. (2015). Introduction: Feminism and contemporary celebrity culture. Celebrity Studies, 6(1), 124–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2015.1005382
Hobson, J. (2017). Celebrity feminism: More than a gateway. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture & Society, 42(4), 999–1007.
Hobson, J. (2021). Foreword. In C. Baade & K. McGee (Eds.), Beyoncé in the world: Making meaning with Queen Bey in troubled times (pp. vii–xviii). Wesleyan University Press.
Knowles-Carter, B. (2016). Formation. In Lemonade.
Osha, S. (2022). South Africa’s dance music craze, amapiano, could conquer the world – if its stars step up. The Conversation.
Paradza, J. C. (2022). Beyoncé has helped usher in a renaissance for African artists. The Conversation.
Weidhase, N. (2015). ‘Beyoncé feminism’ and the contestation of the black feminist body. Celebrity Studies, 6(1), 128–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2015.1005389
Xaso, L. (2020). Made in South Africa: A black woman’s stories of rage, resistance and progress. Tracey McDonald.