Mufasa movie: Lebo M on his return to The Lion King franchise

But despite being a “major part of the original DNA” of The Lion King by conceptualising and composing the music, Lebo M feels he has not received as much financial success from it as some of his peers, largely due to his background.

“I’m forever a refugee, I’m forever an immigrant from Africa even in the business room,” he told the BBC.

He said at the time he did not have lawyers to ensure he got his fair share.

Even now, three decades deep into his career, Lebo M said he often finds he is the only black person in the room.

“I don’t think it’s because of tokenism,” he explained, adding that his experience speaks for itself.

In addition to working on The Lion King franchise, he has also composed music for The Woman King, The Power of One, and Congo.

“I don’t feel unwelcome, I don’t feel intimidated, I don’t feel like I don’t belong. But I know if I didn’t do what I do I wouldn’t be in that setting,” he said.

Despite growing up under apartheid, and being affected by racist ideology, he said he never experienced direct racism until he got to the US.

“I was born into apartheid. That means, I don’t know what it is like to be in a ‘multiracial environment’ until I got to America,” he said.

Now 64, Lebo M reflects on his legacy and the lessons he learned from the musical legends he met during his exile, like Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba – two pillars of South Africa’s musical history.

He shared that despite their immense success, their financial legacy did not match their global stature, especially toward the end of their lives.

This is a common thread among many African musicians who, unfortunately, died poor.

Although he has learned from their mistakes, he acknowledges that success is not just about commercial gain, but about “personal fulfilment,” which he has found with the Lion King.