Black Is King, Beyoncé’s visual album, which features several Nigerian and African creatives, achieves what Beyoncé is synonymous for -excellence. The journey to this monumental project started in 1994 with Lion King – the original Disney animated movie about the journey of self-discovery a young cub, Simba makes.
The end of Lion King sees Simba return home, face down his arch-nemesis and uncle Scar, and eventually, victoriously, ascend to his rightful place on the throne, as King of the Jungle. To get this climax, the young lion had to overcome adversities and come to a realization of who he truly is.
In 2019, a remake of Lion King was announced, which cast Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) and Beyoncé in the lead roles of Simba and Nala respectively. Nala, Simba’s childhood friend, hunts him down while he is in exile to let him know that his people need him. Nala is important in Simba’s journey to self-discovery and emancipation.
To accompany the Lion King movie, Beyonce created the Lion King: The Gift album in collaboration with several African artistes. The 27 track album contained interludes of clips from the movie. Shatta Wale, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, Moonchild Sanelly, Tekno, Mr Eazi, Busiswa, DJ Lag, from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa were all featured on the Lion king album.
Brown Skin Girl, a single off the Lion king album, featuring Nigerian international artiste Wizkid was an instant international hit. It became an anthem for black women all over the world, a celebration and acceptance of their dark skin, of all shades and colours. Brown Skin Girl, in 2020, won a BET Award in the BET HER category, in recognition of neo-soul or traditional R&B artistes. The song has been streamed more than 27 million times on Youtube alone.
Black Is King is a visual album, a compilation of videos for the Lion King: The Gift album. The project keeps the Lion King undertones present in the music album, in fact, in its own way, it tells its story of Simba’s journey to ascending his throne, but Simba in this context represents the whole race of black people.
Black is King is a visual story of a race of nation, coming to full self awareness, after being exiled, enslaved, colonized, deceived and cut off from their roots. It is a coming home story, coming to the truth of oneself, accepting everything that makes you special, and showcasing that brilliance to the entire world. Black is King is a representation of black beauty, black culture, black creativity. ‘Black’ is no longer a word to be despised, but embraced and celebrated.
The story of black people coming to the awareness of their place and position in the world can naturally not be complete without African creatives, from across the world, pitching in to tell their story. And that is what Beyonce, through Black Is King has done. It can be defined as a labour of love, of self-love, of black love. A horde of creatives, showcasing an individual and a collective brilliance to create Black is King.
It took a combined force of individuals of African heritage to create this picture, and quite a number of them are Nigerians. Nigerians in the diaspora, Nigerians living in Nigeria. A few well known, several relatively unknown, both on-screen and off, each contributing their skill, as directors, dancers, stylists, producers, to this amazing body of work.
Akin Omotoso – Producer
Actor, writer and director, Akin Omotoso was born to a Nigerian father and Barbadian mother. He grew up in Ile Ife, Osun state, before his family relocated to South Africa, on the occasion of his father’s appointment as a lecturer at the University of the Western Cape. His father, Bankole Omotoso, was a literary giant, and his influence is evident in Akin’s life.
Young Omotoso struggled to settle into the foregin South African landscape, but eventually succeeded in enrolling for the Performance Diploma in Speech and Writing at the University of Cape Town. While in the programme, Omotoso discovered his passion for the performing arts and by 1999 he had written his first feature film, God Is African.
The writer started his production company, T. O. M. Pictures shortly after his first release. The company’s first project was producing Craig Freimong’s film, Gums and Noses, which won the Best South African film at the New York Independent Film Festival in 2004. In 2008, he joined the cast of the M-Net series Jacob’s Cross playing the role of Femi Adeniran. He also directed the series.
Omotoso has gone on to direct several award winning films. Some of his awards include the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) and Dubai International Film Festival award.
He was on the list of filmmakers invited into the class of 2020 of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Omotoso has also been named one of the directors of Netflix first Nigerian original, six-part series.
He is credited as a producer on Beyonce’s Black Is King visual album.
Chiamaka Ebochue – Production Supervisor
Ebouche is a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. A producer and creative director, she has worked on several projects including LowlaDee Production’s This Is It.
She became an associate producer on Ndani Tv in 2017, working on projects including Ndani Real Talk and GTBank Fashion Weekend, Oga Pastor, Skinny Girl In Transit. She is the founder of Cineast Productions.
Ebouche is credited as a Production Supervisor on Beyonce’s Black Is King, working with the JM Films production team, which is owned by Jimi Adesanya.
Dafe Oboro – Co Director, Producer, Casting Director
Dafe Oboro is a 25 year old filmmaker, photographer, producer and casting director. Born and raised in Lagos, Oboro started off as a fashion blogger and photographer, taking pictures of himself in unconventional outfits for his blog.
Oboro released his first documentary film, A Beautiful Struggle, a fine blend of music and fashion, in collaboration with Vlisco, to showcase the story of migration and rural to urban settlement.
He tells the Art Momentum, ‘To me, my work is using creativity as a form and means of expressing my reality and that of those around me in raw and multi-dimensional honesty. This often means telling interesting stories, but it also means portraying painful, untold ones too.In the end, art is a medium to raise awareness and change the world’
Dafe Obaro is credited as a Co Director, Producer and Casting Director for Beyoncé’s Black Is King.
Daniel Obasi – Styling
Obasi started out his artistic journey as a graphics designer but his interests soon switched to fashion. The artist uses fashion as a means of expression and as a means of challenging stereotypes, especially as it regards the meaning of masculinity, sexuality and gender roles.
In 2017 he released his first major work, Illegal Project, a film displaying gender non-conforming expressions in the African setting. The project got Obasi noticed and advanced his image and budding career as an artist who creates his own ideals and is true to his expression.
Describing how he got into film and photography, he tells i-D ‘I embraced photography out of necessity because there weren’t a lot of photographers in Lagos who could shoot the way I wanted to present an image. Same with filmmaking. I always liked the idea of experimentation and I also noticed that the kind of visuals I was trying to create weren’t really popular.’ Obasi has since released two other films. He released An Alien In Town in 2018, a project celebrating the African heritage, history and originality and in Udara, he addresses the relationship between Christianity and traditional Igbo beliefs.
Obasi’s film, An Alien in Town was recently shortlisted for Fashion Film Festival Milano, Bucharest Fashion Film Festival and shown by Smithsonian Center at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington, D.C.).
Obasi has worked as a stylist and director on music videos, most notable of which are Major Lazer and Burna Boy’s All My Life and Falana’s Ride or Die. He has also worked with brands like Orange Culture, Iamisigo, Maxivive, Rayo, Vlisco and several others.
Obasi uses his fashion and style to tell stories, of his beliefs, his ancestry and his artistry. He was one of the stylists for Beyoncé’s King Is Black visual album.
Folajomi ‘FJ’ Akinmurele – Actor
Akinmurele represents young Simba in Black is King. We see him going through the process of self realization, with Beyoncé’s guidance, until like JayZ, he stands tall and proud, in the realization of who he is.
The young actor is signed to Afritalent, the agency to which a number of the models that featured on the Black Is King film are signed to.
Akinmurele is a lead actor on the Black Is King album.
Funmilayo Odede – Cast
Odede is a young actress that appeared alongside other young actors including FJ Akinmurele on Black is King. She appears regally dressed as she’s escorted by her white butler, in the video of Mood 4 Eva, a song which depicts the lavish wealth of the Carters.
Odede is credited as a member of the cast of Beyonce’s Black Is King.
Ibra Ake – Creative Director, Co Director
Ibra Ake is a Nigerian-American visual artist, creative director and writer based in Los Angeles, Carlifornia. From Lagos to Los Angeles, Ake is inspired by the cities he has lived in. Though he has spent most of his years in America, he is still deeply connected to his Nigerian origin.
Ake was introduced to art through animation and drawing, which he picked up from cartoons and movies while growing up. He was well on his way to a degree in animation, but soon dropped out to pursue photography.
After dropping out of school, Ake started taking freelance gigs as a photographer. This is how he’ll meet Childish Gambino, who was at this time still making his way in the music industry. The two became fast friends and soon were collaborating.
The artist tells Okay Africa, ‘After the shoot, we became friends and we just bounced ideas creatively back and forth. I would do photography and design stuff and we just kept in touch and that led to going on tour and working, Then as he got bigger stuff just got crazier.’
The two have collaborated on album covers, music videos, screenwriting, creative production and everything in between.
Ake is one of the writers of Atlanta, a comedy TV series, alongside Childish Gambino, who also stars in the series. For his work in Atlanta, he received a nomination from Writers Guild of America Award for Television : Comedy Series.
He also produced the music video for Childish Gambino’s controversial ‘This Is America’, which won a Grammy award for Best Music Video. The song also won awards for Song of the Year, Record of the year and Best Rap/Song Performance.
Ibra Ake was a Creative Director and Co-Director of Beyoncé’s Black Is King.
Jenn Nkiru – Director
Jenn Nkiru is a British-Nigerian filmmaker, born and based in Peckham, London. Nkiru directed the lavish music video for Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s APESHIT. The video featured them standing alone at the world’s largest art museum, The Louvre, in Paris, in front of the famed Monalisa. A display of their power, wealth and status as black people.
Nkiru is a film graduate of Howard University. Her previous work includes videos for Jazz musician Kamasi Washington on his latest album Heaven And Earth. Her most celebrated project, Rebirth Is Necessary, is a short film that encapsulates her thoughts and visions of Black universality. She described the film as ‘jazz, black magic in motion’.
In an interview with The Drum, she expressed what she hopes to achieve with her art, saying, ‘I want my work to encourage audiences to ask questions. Nothing is for sure. Everything can and is to be questioned if we want to move forward.’
Nkiru is an award winning artist. She was named as one of the 200 women redefining the creative industries in 2018 by The Dots and one of the 100 global Creative Superheroes shaping culture by Utopia in 2018.
Jimi Adesanya – Producer
Jimi Adesanya is a producer and founder of JM Films a movie and television production company.
Adesanya and his production company are credited for producing music videos for some of the biggest names in the Nigerian music industry. Most recently Burna Boy’s Wonderful.
Adesanya is credited as a Producer on Beyonce’s Black Is King film.
Kc Obiajulu – Cinematographer
Obiajulu is a photographer and cinematographer from Anambra state Nigeria. He studied cinematography, film and video production at the National Film Institute of Jos and is the CEO of Line Clear Pictures.
Obiajulu as a cinematographer at Ndani TV, worked on creating the very successful web series, Skinny Girl In Transit. He has also been involved in creating videos for several of Nigeria’s biggest musical acts. Including most recently, Davido’s 1 Milli video and Adekunle Gold’s Jore.
Obiajulu is credited as cinematographer on Beyonce’s Black Is King film.
Kehinde Are – Stylist
Are is a creative hair stylist in Lagos, Nigeria. She operates under the name 25th Fairy Hair.
As stylist, she has worked on several campaigns, video and photoshoots in the Nigerian creative industry.
Are is credited as a stylist and a member of the cast of Beyonce’s Black Is King.
Lauretta Orji Yemoja – Make up artist
Lauretta Orji is an all round artist. She is a makeup artist, singer, and songwriter.
She is the CEO of Visage de colour, a beauty and makeup outfit. Orji has worked with several artistes in the Nigerian music industry as a makeup artist for their video or photoshoots.
She has also worked on various campaigns and events, including a shoot for Nike’s Women’s World Cup.
Orji is credited as a makeup artist on the Black Is King film. She worked on the set of the music video for Keys To The Kingdom, a song off the Lion King: The King album, which featured Tiwa Savage and Mr Eazi.
Leke Alabi Isama – Line producer
Leke Alabi-Isama is a documentary photographer based in Lagos, Nigeria. He uses his medium to address societal issues dear to his heart and hopes his images can connect the viewer with the everyday reality of life, provoking reactions and questions in the heart of his audience. He is also a certified Canon photography and film trainer across Africa.
He has been commissioned by several reputable organizations, including Global Citizen, Fistula Foundation, AFFORD, Vitamin Angels, African Women Development Foundation, The Telegraph UK.
Leke Alabi Isama is credited as a Line Producer on Beyoncé’s Black Is King film.
Logor Olumuyiwa – Line Manager and Ist Assistant Director
Olumuyiwa wears many hats, as a Project Manager, Creative Director, Market Researcher, but he started out as a street photographer. In 2014, Olumuyiwa quit his job working for a real estate company to focus on photography.
The young artist has always been inspired by the city of Lagos, its sights, scenes and smells and this reflects in his work. In Monochrome Lagos, Olumuyiwa strips Lagos of its vibrant colours, to reveal, if anything, what might lie beneath.
He describes Lagos and how it inspires him to What’s On Africa, ‘I set out to photograph Lagos, seeking to capture the mysteries of the city, the theatrics and arrangement of almost everything, the poetic juxtapositions of its residents, how they relate to the city and vice versa. Most importantly, I seek the beauty in her forms, lines, patterns, textures, by stripping her of one of her most obvious features, her ‘colour’’
The artist has created several collections of works, Urban Legend, A Buffet of Light, Darkness and Forms and he is not slowing down.
Logor is credited as a Line Manager and Ist Assistant Director for Beyonce’s Black Is King.
Love Divine (Picture Kodak) – Dancer
Divine was a popular dancer and choreographer before her sad and sudden passing on April 29, 2020.
She had worked on several music projects and was a well-known face in the Nigerian creative scene.
Divine, known for her bold and colourful personality, appeared on the video of Keys to the Kingdom, sporting her signature bright red hairstyle and exuding life and joy.
She will be sorely missed by her family, friends, fans and colleagues.
Meji Alabi – Co-Director
Meji Alabi is a London born, Texas raised Nigerian filmmaker who started making films while studying for a degree in accounting. Now, Alabi produces music videos for some of the biggest international music acts. He has created visuals for Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, Skepta, Tiwa Savage, Popcaan, Tinie Tempah and several others.
Largely self-taught and self-trained, Meiji co-founded the JM films in 2014, which specialises in creative visuals, music videos, commercials, movies and television. The company has worked with an impressive group of artists including Mr Eazi, Burna Boy and Jorja Smith.
Meiji Alabi is a co-director for Black is King.
Monsuru Akande – Casting Assistant to Dafe Oboro
Akande is credited as a casting assistant to Dafe Oboro on Beyonce’s Black is King film. Oboro is credited as Casting Director, Producer and Co-director on Black Is King.
Muhammad Atta Ahmed- Cinematographer
Atta is a filmmaker, cinematographer, director of production. A graduate of Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Technology, Minna, Atta started off as a graphics designer in 2009.
He became a consultant at Ndani as director of photography and content design in 2012.
Atta is associated with some of the biggest Nollywood productions in Nigeria – Chief Daddy, The Set Up amongst others, music productions, commercials and campaigns.
He is credited as a cinematographer on Beyonce’s Black Is King album.
Papi Ojo – Dancer/Cast
Stephen Ojo, more popularly known as Papi Ojo, is a Nigerian dancer and artiste. Born and raised in Lagos, Ojo started dancing professionally in 2014, after creating the A.V.O. BOYZ dance group with his friends, Ghanaian Caleb (Ghana boy) and Sedo, who unfortunately passed on in July 2016. Since then, it has been just the duo trying to make it as international afrobeat dancers.
In 2018, Ojo bagged the biggest gig of his career, performing with Rihanna at the 2018 Grammy awards. He described the experience working with Rihanna to One Tribe Mag, ‘it was my first time working on a job of that magnitude. I definitely felt a lot of pressure was on me, knowing that me and Caleb were the only Afrobeats dancers and every other dancer were hip-hop and had both accolades and years of experience over us.’
By 2019, Ojo featured in Spirit, the only song off Beyoncé’s Lion King: The Gift album to make it into the movie. The dancer has also worked with several international artistes including Janet Jackson, Daddy Yankee, Chris Brown, Big Sean at the VMAs, Wizkid, Davido, Kizz Daniel.
Ojo was definitely the star of the video of Already, featuring Ghana’s Shatta Wale on Black Is King. On a project of this magnitude, that gives merely seconds to the several brilliant creatives involved, it might be difficult to stand out. But stand out he did, painted blue and brimming with energy, it was difficult not to spot him dishing out his wicked dance moves. Ojo was in his element throughout the video, executing the performance of a lifetime, as he and Beyoncé delivered seamless dance moves in Black Is King.