American Singer, Songwriter and Actress Beyonce has featured Ghanaian dancehall artist Shatta Wale on ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ Album.
The musician teams up with the Vodafone Ghana Music Award winner on track 11 of the album titled Already.
The album also features a number of African artists including Tekno, Yemi Alade, Wizkid, Mr. Eazi.
The LP features contributions from Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z, Childish Gambino, 070 Shake, Tierra Whack, Pharrell.
A statement by Walt Disney announced on Tuesday (July 9) read, “The album will feature a number of global recording artists and “steeped in the sounds of Africa”.
The Lion King: The Gift will be released on July 19, 2019 via Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records along with the live-action film, which features Bey as Nala.
The R&B star has announced numerous African Pop and Rap stars on album out Friday, as well as Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams and daughter Blue Ivy.
Beyoncé has outlined details for her 14-track new album to accompany The Lion King remake, entitled The Lion King: The Gift, to be released on Friday. The album features four new solo songs alongside collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, Childish Gambino, Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy and more. It is separate from the soundtrack to The Lion King, though the Beyoncé song Spirit appears on both. The singer voices the character Nala in the new 3D-animated version of the 1994 Disney classic.
When she first announced the project last week, Beyoncé said: “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.”
She added: “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.”
Numerous African artists appear on the album. Nigerian pop stars Tiwa Savage and Mr Eazi perform the song Keys to the Kingdom, with the latter also appearing alongside fellow Nigerians Tekno and Yemi Alade on Don’t Jealous Me. Nigeria’s Burna Boy has a solo track, Ja Ara E, while Cameroonian artist Salatiel appears alongside Beyoncé and Pharrell on Water. Other African artists include Nigeria’s Wizkid, Ghana’s Shatta Wale, and South Africa’s Busiswa and Moonchild Sanelly.
Female North American rappers and singers Tierra Whack, 070 Shake and Jessie Reyez also appear, as does New York rapper Saint Jhn.
Source: NKONKONSA.com with additional files from Theguardian.com