The excitement and anticipation for Black Panther are reaching new levels every day as we get closer to the release date (tomorrow!!!!). Amping it up even more (pun intended), is the soundtrack for the movie, Black Panther: The Album. The soundtrack curated by Kendrick Lamar and Top Dawg Entertainment features big artists like The Weeknd, Future, Khalid, Travis Scott, Vince Staples, James Blake, Swae Lee, 2 Chainz, SZA, and Anderson. Paak but also worthy and upcoming names like Jorja Smith and Zacari. It showcases four South African artists, Sjava singing in Zulu, Yugen Blakrok, Babes Wodumo, and Saudi.
[bctt tweet=”The album is so much more than just a soundtrack for a movie. It exemplifies the same black self-sufficiency as portrayed by Wakanda in the movie.” username=”wearethetempest”]
The album is so much more than just a soundtrack for a movie. It excels in black storytelling and putting the African art, music, and culture at the forefront of a platform as big as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The album exemplifies the same black self-sufficiency as portrayed by Wakanda in the movie.
Undoubtedly the main attraction turned out to be the powerhouse collaborations found thorough this album. When the tracklist was revealed, I was most excited about the interesting collaboration between Khalid and Rae Sremmurd’s Swae Lee. “The Ways” a moody love song with its easygoing melody does not disappoint. Kendrick and SOB X RBE’s “Parademic!” has got everyone talking.
i still can’t believe how much ‘Paramedic’ slaps. wow. As soon as Kendrick says “Northern California” im like pic.twitter.com/Ob5qVE2fsu
— michael (@michaelll_21) February 9, 2018
Paramedic got me feeling like Killmonger gonna coast through in a BMW and fade T'Challa with the burner.
— Dev (@TheReclusiveGod) February 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/uhleekuh/status/961846944678096896
The soundtrack is also as proudly political as its movie counterpart. My favorite is “Seasons” by Mozzy, Sjava, and Reason which talks about police brutality, racism, and the corrupt justice system among many other things.
[bctt tweet=”The soundtrack is also as proudly political as its movie counterpart.” username=”wearethetempest”]
I cried when lil’ bruh died
Got high and watched the sunrise
Wiggle on ’em if it’s one time
They done hung all of my people
I love all of my people
I’m in the slums with all of my people
They tryna tell us that we all equal
We get no justice so it ain’t peaceful, yeah
They can bluff you, they can beat you
Paid attorney, we gon’ need it
The first song, “Black Panther” really sets the tone for what comes next in the rest of the album. Lyrics like these:
Sisters and brother in unison, not because of me
Because we don’t glue with the opposition, we glue with peace
And I’m still gon’ fuck up your organization if any beef
What do you stand for?
Are you an activist? What are your city plans for?
when paired with tribal drums, a soft piano tune and some more drums are guaranteed to give you goosebumps. Lamar represents T’Challa and his heroic nature through these verses, which are completely contradictory to his aggressive verses in “King’s Dead” where he represents the antagonist, Erik Killmonger.
Another strong favorite of mine is “X” by ScHoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, Saudi and Kendrick Lamar. This track gets me pumped from the very first beat and only gets better from then onward.
A week ago the music video for Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “All The Stars” was unveiled. The video is an ethereal feast for the eyes with African-inspired visuals, traditional African clothing, and dancing. Lamar is seen sporting headscarves and walking through a forest with black panthers and SZA is serving looks with every outfit change in the video.
The soundtrack deserves to be kept on repeat through the run-up to the movie release on February 16.
You can have a listen right here:
