Kendrick Lamar is Producing and Curating ‘Black Panther: The Album’ and The Hype is Over 9000

All the stars are aligning perfectly and coming together for Black Panther. Celebs and common folk alike are hype for this movie and here’s another reason why. “The greatest rapper alive” Kendrick Lamar will be working with Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith aka The CEO of Kendrick’s label TDE aka the guy that signed Kendrick and helped propel the lyrical beast to stardom, to produce and curate “Black Panther: The Album”. This is insane! Ladies and gentlemen, we have the premiere rapper of this decade getting the keys to the drop top phantom on prom night!

Black Panther is directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira, among others. Director, Ryan Coogler straight up first pick in the NBA draft selected Kendrick to be the first person to embark on this immense Marvel partnership.

Coogler said, “I am honored to be working with such an incredible artist whose work has been so inspirational, and whose artistic themes align with those we explore in the film. I can’t wait for the world to hear what Kendrick and TDE have in store,”. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? My mans just said Kendrick’s lyrics always been about that African appreciation and inspiration. His conscience content and vibes will synch up with the film in ways we’ve never seen before.

Yeah, I’m still not over how bananas this is. The biggest thing we need to keep in mind is the fact that Kendrick and Tiffith will be working directly with Coogler curating the entire album. Fammmmm! Not only will they be selecting and making the beats for the album, but they’ll be getting a first hand look at scenes from the film so they can advise Coogler how certain portions should sound and when beats should drop throughout the movie. This is completely unheard of and will mark the first time in MCU history that Marvel Studios will integrate multiple original recordings created specifically for the film. There will still be a score for the movie, of course, but this will go down as one of the biggest moments in Hip-Hop history. Speaking of the score, Ludwig Göransson was hired to do the score and decided to travel to Senegal and synagogues in South Africa to record local musicians to form the “base” and influence of his soundtrack.

This album is lined up to dictate a lot of the feel in Black Panther, and if the lead single, “All The Stars,” featuring Kendrick Lamar and label mate SZA is any indication, we should be anticipating peak blackness and straight flames from each track. The song features those signature sultry SZA sounds with a guaranteed to be fire Kendrick verse. SZA opens up her verse discussing skin covered in an ego (vibranium panther suit anyone) and King Kendrick speaks on confidence and expectations, something he and King T’Challa inherently deal with on a daily basis. Kendrick seemed grateful and excited for the opportunity when he said, “Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is amazing, from its cast to its director. The magnitude of this film showcases a great marriage of art and culture. I’m truly honored to contribute my knowledge of producing sound and writing music alongside Ryan and Marvel’s vision.”

This was a no-brainer decision for Disney, Marvel, and TDE. All sides will benefit from each other’s involvement and I’m personally going nuts for this announcement. The toys are already killin’ it. They’ve been building up excitement with things like prelude tie-in comics, so I’m hopeful the album will go platinum. Black Panther could cross the billion-dollar mark with fans of all shades eager to see this all-star black cast unveil the world of Wakanda. No black director has ever grossed a billion dollars off ALL their movies, let alone a single movie, so Ryan Coogler could be in store for some accolades if the movie delivers. Black Panther hits theaters on February 16th, and the soundtrack drops February 9th. Give “All the Stars” a listen and get ready for the rest of the album. GREATNESS IS COMING!

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  • Ja-Quan is a NYC teacher and artist holding a B.A. in Sociology and History from SUNY New Paltz. On his journey to become Hokage, the Lord of The Speed Force and Protector of the Recaps can be found North of The Wall, chopping it up on Twitter @OGquankinobi

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