Kendrick Lamar and TDE release incendiary ‘Black Panther’ soundtrack
The incendiary Black Panther soundtrack, entirely curated and produced by Kendrick Lamar and TDE CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, has officially arrived. Lamar’s listed as a lyricist and composer on each and every of the album’s 14 tracks, an incredibly impressive feat for the Compton rapper after the release his fourth studio LP, DAMN., just last year.
Black Panther’s ebbs and flow are a testament to both Lamar’s precision and possession of an incisive song-writing style. Perhaps most importantly, the project’s concise in its cinematic-tendencies, best exemplified in how Lamar moves from ethereal radio-dominating tracks like “All the Stars” featuring SZA and “The Ways” featuring Swae Lee to the high-octane, politically-charged energy of “Opps” featuring Vince Staples and South Africa’s rising Yugen Blakrok.
Lamar’s soundtrack indubitably lives up to, and perhaps exceeds, its immense expectations. It’s brimming with singles that are poised to dominate strictly on their own merit, and if the movie tanks — given early returns both critical and financial, an impossibility — next week, at least viewers can rest assured that the music will do its part.
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is in theaters February 16.
Categories: Music