Koffee on a roll with ‘The Harder They Fall’; D Brown sits on top of iTunes chart
KOFFEE IS definitely on a roll. Last month she dropped off new music, a breezy, celebratory track titled West Indies, which came with a cool video shot in Negril and has racked up millions of views. West Indies is the first single from her début album, due out next year.
Hard on the heels came news that the Toast singer, who won her first Grammy with an EP, not a fulllength album, was representing on the critically acclaimed soundtrack of the Netflix all-black western, The Harder They Fall.
Koffee’s song, which is also the title track, is a slick “blend of old school dancehall with new school vocals and sounds”, and it fits snugly into the movie. But this is a soundtrack that more than complements the film; it is written into the film.
“The whole story is being driven by music. [Jeymes Samuels] is actually designing the shots to the music. Writing the words with a rhythm in his head,”actress Regina King is quoted in a Netflix press release.
Samuel, the director, has a host of other titles. He is a British singersongwriter, music producer and film-maker who goes by the stage name The Bullitts. Samuel is the younger brother of British singer, Seal. The Harder They Fall is produced by Samuel, Lawrence Bender, Shawn Carter (Jay-Z), and James Lassiter.
Described as a new school western, The Harder They Fall stars Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Idris Elba, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole, RJ Cyler, Damon Wayans Jr, Julio Cesar Cedillo and Woody McClain. It follows the story of a former slave turned cowboy who is out for revenge on the man who murdered his parents. The film opened in select theatres last weekend and premièred on November 3 on Netflix.
Koffee, however, is not the only Jamaican on the soundtrack. Barrington Levy and the late Dennis Brown also represent reggae and dancehall. Brown’s Promised Land makes its way on the star-studded track, and it was one of few songs not written, especially for the soundtrack. Nonetheless, it has now soared to number one on the iTunes Reggae Singles chart.
Levy comes with a brand new Jeymes Samuel-produced track titled Better Than Gold, and also Here I Come, a remix by Samuel.
Speaking to GQ in a recent interview, Samuel stated, “...I just made the western that’s in my head, I make the movie that’s in my head like Barrington Levy’s cinematic score. I used to hear Barrington Levy’s Here I Come as a kid: “I’m broad, I’m broad, I’m broader than Broadway. Yes, I’m broad, I’m broad, I’m broader than Broadway.” I used to hear horses galloping. It’s only right when I make my movie that I can get Barrington Levy to come into the studio.”
Other artistes appearing on the soundtrack are Seal, CeeLo Green, Fatoumata Diawara & Ms Lauryn Hill and Alice Smith. It is now available to stream/download on Amazon and any other major digital music platform.