Beyoncé is slammed for excluding Kenyan artists on her Lion King album which she describes as a ‘love letter to Africa’
Beyoncé has been criticised for not including any Kenyan artists on her Lion King album, which she describes as being a ‘love letter to Africa.’
East African musician, John Katana, who claims to have first popularised the phrase Hakuna Matata, has spoken out about the snub.
He told TMZ that he had noticed Beyoncé didn’t include any local artists on her album, The Gift.
Something to say: Beyoncé has been criticised for excluding Kenyan artists on her Lion King album which she describes as a ‘love letter to Africa’
The site reports that Disney included other African artists, such as Nigerian pop star WizKid, Ghanaian producer Shatta Wale and Nigerian singer Burna Boy.
They add that the Lion King does appear to be set in Kenya and John said he is ‘puzzled’ that not one Kenyan artist made the cut on the soundtrack.
He also said he is disappointed that no Disney representatives reached out to him or anyone else in his Chakacha Kenyan band, Them Mushrooms.
Beyonce has said: ‘I wanted to make sure we found the best talent from Africa, and not just use some of the sounds and did my interpretation of it’
Iconic: The new movie has been adapted from the original animated version
Last year, a petition was started for Disney to abandon its trademark over ‘Hakuna Matata’, as it’s a well-known Swahili phrase.
John used the phrase Hakuna Matata in his band’s ’80s platinum hit, Jambo Bwana.
MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Beyoncé and Disney for further comment.
Beyoncé recently spoke about her album in a rare interview with ABC News.
She said: ‘This soundtrack is a love letter to Africa, and I wanted to make sure we found the best talent from Africa, and not just use some of the sounds and did my interpretation of it.
‘We’ve kind of created our own genre and I feel like the soundtrack is the first soundtrack where it becomes visual in your mind.
‘The soundtrack is more than just the music, because each song tells the story of the film.’
Beyoncé voices the character Nala in the adaptation of the Disney classic, which is out now. Donald Glover voices the character of Simba.
Special film: Beyoncé voices the character Nala in the adaptation of the Disney classic, which is out now. Donald Glover voices the character of Simba
