Lupita Nyong’o is no stranger to being a singer’s and rapper’s inspiration, but the Black Panther actor received the ultimate namecheck when Beyoncé mentioned 2019’s Lion King soundtrack song ‘Brown Skin Girl.
This came as a total surprise and the Academy recently recalled the moment and its significance.
How Lupita Nyong’o learnt Beyoncé namechecked her on Brown Skin Girl
“I learned that Beyoncé had namechecked me in her song in an interview that I was doing in London.” Recalled Lupita in an interview…
“They said ‘How do you feel about being namechecked by Beyoncé?’ And I was like ‘Uh, what?’
And they were like ‘Yeah, haven’t you heard? She dropped a song this morning.’
I was like ‘No I haven’t.’ Then she reached for her iPhone to play for me, and I was like ‘Ohno, we’re not going to be doing it like that. I need a proper sound system to listen to this.’ So, I saved it for the end of the day, and put it on my speaker. And I screamed! I was so excited.” She exclaimed.
Significance of Beyoncé’s ‘Brown Skin Girl’
Lupita explained what the Namecheck meant to her,
“The song means so much to so many, and definitely to me.
Just that appreciation of dark complexion. We need it; we needed that song, and I thank Beyoncé for that,” said Lupita
The US star was also featured in the “Brown Skin Girl” video and Beyoncé’s film Black is King.