Black Panther and Leo Beatz
Today I want to continue with my
discussion of the soundtrack for Black Panther. Like I mentioned in the
previous post, Kendrick knocked this soundtrack out of the park, releasing a
powerful album in the wake of the release of Marvel’s most revolutionary film.
This soundtrack is a masterful tribute to the film, African American, and Black
power, and is the album we have needed from the mainstream film world.
Today’s track features California’s Vince Staples and the popular South African rapper, Yugen Blakrok. One of the things I absolutely love about Yugen Blakrok’s verses is the creativity and ingenuity found in them. There is African imagery, homages to other superheroes, and a wildly raw theme to her lines. Not only that, it feels as though this track is hers and features Vince Staples, not the other way around. Though her time on the track is shorter, she seems to dominate the entire song. She is bombastic, proud, and incredibly effective at getting her point across. And it is a good thing that she is the last full rap verse we hear because it leaves the song feeling fueled by power and a calculated aggressiveness. The song has even been described as being relentless and brutal, a sentiment I can understand when listening both musically and lyrically.
The musicality of the track is also stunning. The soundscape of this song is like an electronic Afrofuturist kind of sound. If Afro beats ever had a sci-fi soundtrack, it would have to have a track like this, or at least tracks that sound like this. There are so many beautifully crafted sounds which give us a taste of that Afrobeat which is prevalent across the soundtrack but also captures an anticipation and intensity which comes from old-school electronic. The song has blips which make themselves heard during the chorus. But during the main verses, we get something which is much more wicked and intense. The bass seems to drop into a syncopated thrum of soundwaves, like a growling and rumbling synthesizer. Layered on top, we have another syncopated beat of what sounds like an electronically simulated African drumbeat. It creates an inescapable and intoxicating energy, one that drives and pushes ahead with speed and agility (like the Panther himself). This song and the album as a whole is one of the more musically adventurous pieces of work I have heard in such a long time.
What I love about this soundtrack is that it tell the story of not only T'Challa but of the Black Panther. We go on a journey of his thoughts and feelings about the world and his country. And this song expresses and unchecked aggression, a fiery and emotional ode to a finding and determining identity. And I wish I could say more about what the song really means to me and to the rest of us, the viewers and listeners. But unfortunately, I am still trying to unravel the song myself. Or rather, fortunately so, this song has so much to offer and so much that we can take away, that just a few listens won't do the trick.
I do realize this post is a bit on the short side, but I have a feeling the last few posts have been a bit long. And since there is just a bit of space left, I thought I would go ahead and talk about an instrumental track! This track was produced by an artist by the name Leo Beatz, and a common theme throughout his work is this Afrohouse style of music. Now, I wanted to go ahead and talk about something which shares electronic and traditional musical elements, because that is exactly how the Black Panther album is. Granted, the themes and motifs are different, and the mood is definitely not on the brightest of sides, but there are so many African influences which can't be ignored. Hopefully, this will shed some light on standard Afrobeats, rhythm, instrumentation, and more! I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!
Today’s track features California’s Vince Staples and the popular South African rapper, Yugen Blakrok. One of the things I absolutely love about Yugen Blakrok’s verses is the creativity and ingenuity found in them. There is African imagery, homages to other superheroes, and a wildly raw theme to her lines. Not only that, it feels as though this track is hers and features Vince Staples, not the other way around. Though her time on the track is shorter, she seems to dominate the entire song. She is bombastic, proud, and incredibly effective at getting her point across. And it is a good thing that she is the last full rap verse we hear because it leaves the song feeling fueled by power and a calculated aggressiveness. The song has even been described as being relentless and brutal, a sentiment I can understand when listening both musically and lyrically.
The musicality of the track is also stunning. The soundscape of this song is like an electronic Afrofuturist kind of sound. If Afro beats ever had a sci-fi soundtrack, it would have to have a track like this, or at least tracks that sound like this. There are so many beautifully crafted sounds which give us a taste of that Afrobeat which is prevalent across the soundtrack but also captures an anticipation and intensity which comes from old-school electronic. The song has blips which make themselves heard during the chorus. But during the main verses, we get something which is much more wicked and intense. The bass seems to drop into a syncopated thrum of soundwaves, like a growling and rumbling synthesizer. Layered on top, we have another syncopated beat of what sounds like an electronically simulated African drumbeat. It creates an inescapable and intoxicating energy, one that drives and pushes ahead with speed and agility (like the Panther himself). This song and the album as a whole is one of the more musically adventurous pieces of work I have heard in such a long time.
What I love about this soundtrack is that it tell the story of not only T'Challa but of the Black Panther. We go on a journey of his thoughts and feelings about the world and his country. And this song expresses and unchecked aggression, a fiery and emotional ode to a finding and determining identity. And I wish I could say more about what the song really means to me and to the rest of us, the viewers and listeners. But unfortunately, I am still trying to unravel the song myself. Or rather, fortunately so, this song has so much to offer and so much that we can take away, that just a few listens won't do the trick.
I do realize this post is a bit on the short side, but I have a feeling the last few posts have been a bit long. And since there is just a bit of space left, I thought I would go ahead and talk about an instrumental track! This track was produced by an artist by the name Leo Beatz, and a common theme throughout his work is this Afrohouse style of music. Now, I wanted to go ahead and talk about something which shares electronic and traditional musical elements, because that is exactly how the Black Panther album is. Granted, the themes and motifs are different, and the mood is definitely not on the brightest of sides, but there are so many African influences which can't be ignored. Hopefully, this will shed some light on standard Afrobeats, rhythm, instrumentation, and more! I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!
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