Did you ever see it coming?
American singer, songwriter and actress Beyonce has featured Ghanaian dancehall artist Shatta Wale on ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ Album.
In what is perhaps the most high profile collaboration of his career, Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale will be featuring on the Lion King album curated by Beyoncé.
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 Ezi.
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”
Shatta Wale has taken to social media to announce the collaboration saying “dem never see wonders.”
The album has been described as being influenced by the sounds of Africa.
Beyoncé has said in a statement said the collaborations with African musicians were important because the film is set in Africa and “authenticity and heart were important to [her].”
“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.”
“I wanted to put everyone on their own journey to link the storyline,” she continued. “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’ is now available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.