JAY-Z leads the pack on Roc Nation's 'The Harder They Fall' soundtrack
Music icon JAY-Z really is doing it all these days from hanging out with floor seats at the Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center games to flexing with Beyoncé in Tiffany & Co. campaigns and now appearing on the new Roc Nation-released The Harder They Fall soundtrack.
JAY-Z leads ‘The Harder They Fall’ soundtrack
Young Hov’s Roc Nation and Netflix have partnered up for the film’s audio release. In addition to the Jigga Man, the album features music heavyweights including Kid Cudi, Jadakiss, Conway The Machine, Koffee, Seal, CeeLe Green, Lauryn Hill and film director Jeymes Samuel.
Each song on the soundtrack was produced by Samuel, who also co-wrote the screenplay for “The Harder They Fall” and directed the film starring Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, R.J. Cyler, Damon Wayans Jr., Deon Cole with Regina King and Idris Elba. In addition to making his directorial debut, Samuel also showcases his versatility as an artist with his own song “No Turning Around” also appearing on the project.
Director Jeymes Samuel is big proud of the soundtrack
The film’s director has since spoke on being a part of the jam-packed soundtrack and dished on what it means to have a deep mixture of talent all on one project.
“I’m honored to have collaborated with such a diverse and talented array of artists to bring this film’s soundtrack to life," said Samuel. "My vision was to create a versatile body of work that blends genres and eras in an innovative way. I hope that, through our collaborative work, fans will be able to really immerse themselves in the stories we’re trying to tell.”
JAY’s on more than just one fire song
While in most cases you would figure JAY is only going to be featured on one track, Shawn Carter actually has a couple of standout collaborations.
The soundtrack includes the long-awaited collaboration between JAY-Z and Kid Cudi on “Guns Go Bang,” which was first teased in the film’s main trailer in September and marks the duo’s first official collaboration since 2009. JAY-Z makes another appearance on the soundtrack alongside Jadakiss and Conway The Machine on “King Kong Riddim” for an explosive collaboration.
Additionally, the soundtrack includes a rare appearance from Hill, whose collaborative effort with Fatoumata Diawara on “Black Woman”offers a strong message of empowerment. Hill’s appearance on “The Harder They Fall” soundtrack is significant, considering it marks the Grammy-award winning icon’s fifth release as lead artist in the past 10 years.
The project also features some notable songs by veteran musician Barrington Levy and a skit with “Atlanta” star LaKeith Stanfield and Regina King.
1. Lightnin’ With The Blam Blams (Skit) - Edi Gathegi & R.J. Cyler
2. The Harder They Fall - Koffee
3. Guns Go Bang - Kid Cudi & JAY-Z
4. Better Than Gold - Barrington Levy
5. Black Woman - Fatoumata Diawara & Ms. Lauryn Hill
6. Wednesday’s Child - Alice Smith
7. Blackskin Mile - CeeLo Green
8. Ain’t No Better Love - Seal
9. We Ain’t No Nincompoop (Skit) - LaKeith Stanfield & Regina King
10. King Kong Riddim ft Backroad Gee - JAY-Z, Jadakiss & Conway The Machine
11. We Go Harder - Laura Mvula & Mayra Andrade
12. Is The Devil Dead? (Skit) - Zazie Beetz & Jonathan Majors
13. No Turning Around - Jeymes Samuel
14. Three and Thirty Years - Pretty Yende
From theaters to Netflix
The great thing about today’s technology is if you didn’t get a chance to see The Harder They Fall in theaters, the movie is slated to soon arrive on Netflix.
The film was recently released in select theaters on October 22 and will be followed by a global release on Netflix on November 3. The domestic premiere for the film took place on Oct. 13 at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles while the world premiere for “The Harder They Fall” occurred at the 65th BFI London Film Festival. It received rave reviews with Deadline describing it as “a mainstream revitalization of a genre many thought was long dead” and Variety writing that the film “brings black cowboys and Jay-Z to the Oscars race.”
