British actor and musician Idris Elba has announced that he’s releasing an album of music inspired by his experiences portraying South African leader Nelson Mandela. According to a promotional video posted by Elba, who sometimes raps and DJs under the name Driis, the album is an outgrowth of research he did while preparing to play the anti-apartheid activist and South African president for last year’s Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom. Working with both British and South African producers, Elba assembled Mi Mandela over the course of three weeks spent improvising and recording with musicians in Johannesburg after the film was completed.
We’re not going to lie: We honestly, sincerely hope this album is a huge success, solely because it might inspire Elba to make records about other people he’s portrayed over the years, and we desperately need Stacker Pentecost’s Stacked Party Jams and Stringer Bell’s audiobook version of Robert’s Rules Of Order to be things that exist in real life, and not just our fevered dreams.
Mi Mandela will be released on November 24.