Here’s the lineup for Lamar’s Black Panther
Rapper releases eagerly awaited soundtrack album’s track list and cover art
Kendrick Lamar didn’t win the 2017 Album of the Year at the Grammys, but he’s about to put out the most highly anticipated soundtrack of 2018.
The rapper has released the cover art and track list for Black Panther: The Album, which comes out Feb. 9. (See the track list in its entirety at right).
The album features artists such as Future, SZA, 2 Chainz and Vince Staples. James Blake appears on two songs and Lamar is on five.
And, despite the rumours fuelled by her Grammy ceremony attire, Beyoncé’s name doesn’t appear on the list. (Although the track titled “Redemption Interlude” doesn’t include a name. Hmm.)
Black Panther, which hits theatres Feb. 16, takes place in the mythical African nation of Wakanda.
In the movie, Wakanda has never been colonized and is the most technologically advanced country in the world, but those advances are little known outside of its borders.
Despite its fictional location, the filmmakers have incorporated real cultural references; for instance, you’ll hear some isiXhosa, spoken in parts of South Africa.
The soundtrack, produced by Lamar and record label chief Anthony (Top Dawg) Tiffith, features several South African artists, including Babes Wodumo, Sjava, Saudi, Reason and Yugen Blakrok.
Lamar performed some of the verses from his track with Jay Rock, “King’s Dead,” at the Grammys.
His collaboration with SZA on “All the Stars” came out earlier in the month.
According to a Marvel release, director Ryan Coogler chose Lamar to produce and curate the soundtrack, and the group closely collaborated over creating music specifically to meet the film’s needs.
This is the first time that Marvel “will integrate multiple original recordings created specifically for the film,” the release stated.
“The magnitude of this film showcases a great marriage of art and culture,” Lamar said in a release. “I’m truly honoured to contribute my knowledge of producing sound and writing music alongside Ryan and Marvel’s vision.”
Full reviews of “Black Panther” are under embargo until Feb. 6 but, after the movie’s premiere, several critics and bigname celebrities went bonkers on Twitter over how much they were blown away by the superhero movie, which stars a predominantly black cast.