"Brown Skin Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, Guyanese singer Saint Jhn and Nigerian singer Wizkid, featuring Blue Ivy Carter from the 2019 album . The song was sent to Top 40/Rhythmic radio on July 23, 2019 as the second single from the soundtrack. Billboard magazine ranked "Brown Skin Girl" as the 68th best song of 2019, saying the song "bolsters Beyoncé's crusade for cultural pride and female empowerment". The song was the most streamed female song of 2019 on Apple Music in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Background
The song marks the second collaboration between Beyoncé and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, following "Blue", a song from Beyoncé's 2013 album Beyoncé. Carter is also credited as a songwriter and contributed vocals. The song caused the #BrownSkinGirlChallenge to go viral upon release.
Composition and lyrics
The song contains "spare, syncopated African rhythms", while its lyrics deal with "colorism faced by darker-complexioned women": "Brown skin girl / ya skin just like pearls / Your back against the world". Billboard magazine called the lyrics "compelling", noting how the song shout-outs pioneering brown girls such as Naomi Campbell, Lupita Nyong'o, and Beyoncé’s former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.
Critical reception
In a positive review, Imani Bashir of Teen Vogue described the song as a "celebration of dark-skinned women". Amanda Mitchell at The Oprah Magazine complimented the song for being "unapologetically and fearlessly Black". Time magazine praised Blue Ivy Carter's appearance, calling it a "gracious cameo". Ellise Shafer of Billboard noted that she added a "sentimental tone to the track". Alexis Petridis writing for The Guardian pinpointed "Brown Skin Girl" as one of the album highlights, describing it as "brilliant". Lupita Nyong'o also reacted by posting a video of herself on Friday, July 19, 2019 via Instagram, singing and dancing along to "Brown Skin Girl", in which her name was specifically applauded by Beyoncé. At the 2019 Soul Train Music Awards, "Brown Skin Girl" won the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award and was also nominated for Best Collaboration.
Black Is King is an exclusive Disney Plus visual album and film based on the music of , which premired on the platform July 31, 2020. "Brown Skin Girl" has a music video within the film, along with the songs "My Power" and "Mood 4 Eva," also from The Lion King: The Gift. All of the videos have been described as "extravagances of elegance and soul". Many had cameos in the video including Kelly Rowland, Naomi Campbell, Lupita Nyong'o among many others. The song was included on the deluxe edition of The Lion King: The Gift, which included all the songs included in the film.
