Beyoncé has been heavily influenced by Afrobeats over the course of her career. The Gift is the full manifestation of this influence and is her tribute to her lineage and her community as well as exposes the world to the genre of Afrobeats. In doing so, Afrobeats has been consistently represented in the American Music Industry like the success of Wizkid’s Essence following his feature on Brown Skin Girl. The aesthetic of the genre is appealing and is now, as well as its artists, on the global stage. There is now an increase in collaboration between American and Afrobeats artists after The Gift. Although, one must consider the true representation and authenticity of African cultures in the right context. In addition, one must also consider the market that this collaboration appeals to and the commercialization of representation. Going forward, the industry should center an authentic approach to representation.

One example of this is Small Island Big Song, a multifaceted project featuring musicians from various island nations across the Pacific and Indian Ocean, brought together by filmmaker and music producer Tim Cole and producer BaoBao Chen. The pair were inspired to begin the project after feeling a sort of conviction when they heard the IPCC report on the BBC world service back in 2014. The IPCC report is produced by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is a part of the United Nation initiative to assess climate change. Established in 1988, the IPCC provides policymakers around the world with relevant scientific assessment as it relates to climate change (About the IPCC). In the 2014 report, details of how the Pacific islands were being drastically affected led Cole to realize “that the very people, who do know how to live sustainably on fragile small Islands, are the first to loose theirs through the unsustainable lifestyle of the rest of us; we are going to loose the cultural knowledge we most need to hear.”(Small Island Big Song).  From this sentiment, Cole and Chen made it their goal to use their skills to uplift the voices of the Pacific Island whilst bringing awareness to the climate change crisis.

In an interview with BaoBao Chen, she stated “For us, we usually try to give musicians in the conversation as well. They are representing their story, we’re not trying to represent their story for them.” (Chen 2022) Perhaps having further involved artist may have helped key players in the production of The Gift recognize the need for East African artists to be featured in the film.