However, the closer it grew, the more I felt apprehensive about doing any sort of review of it, much for the same reasons that I ended up not doing a review of Kendrick's 2017 DAMN. I felt that, being white, I wasn't really in a position to review work that clearly speaks of and to the experience of being black in America. It made me uncomfortable to try and tackle a subject that I have absolutely no experience with or true understanding of, and I didn't want to make any sort of comment that would not be correct or come off as ignorant.
After listening to the album, I found myself thinking about the music and the way it came about, and found myself wanting to write my thoughts on it, despite my apprehension. I realized the difference it makes, giving the creative reigns of the soundtrack for a superhero movie about an African superhero to people of color. The authenticity of the sound, the vibes, the movement and feeling of the album are leaps and bounds beyond anything a typical movie soundtrack would have. I've recently been reading The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and there's a scene that reminded me of my realization. The narrator points out to a filmmaker that it would seem logical for a movie about Vietnam to have actual speaking parts for Vietnamese people. Proper representation and input for people who are the subject matter of a movie or story makes a big difference in the final product.
Even though Kendrick is a huge name right now and was guaranteed to draw people in, they could have given it to someone who would have played things safe, who would have washed it down just enough to make people, (specifically white people like me), feel comfortable and sell more records. But the people at Marvel didn't; they made a more risque move and the result couldn't have been more appropriate for what I'm sure we will soon see with the movie this coming weekend.
Just from looking at the artists involved, you can see the diversity in terms of genres and influences. Hip-hop and R&B have the most presence, but even then, you get a variety of sounds within the genres. Trap rears its head on tracks like "X", "King's Dead", and "Big Shot", with "X" feeling more syrupy smooth to fit with featuring artists Schoolboy Q and 2 Chainz and "Big Shot" having the signature big-bass-with a-high-flute-hook sound of Travis Scott. "King's Dead" utilizes very minimal melodic elements in favor of lots of drums and bass, giving an almost detached vibe. "Paramedic!" brings me back to growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the kind of underground hip-hop sound that's bad but in a good way, taking it's time as opposed to the more popular trap sound (sadly, there were no featuring of my old favorite NorCal slang, "hella"). "Opps" takes things in a completely different direction with a more house, electronic base to the instrumental that leaves lots of room for Vince Staples and Yugen Blakrok (and an uncredited Kendrick) to spit fire over the pulsating beat. "Redemption" and "Seasons" take different approaches to featuring African (specifically South African) artists and sound palates. "Redemption" utilizes a more tribal sounding beat with lyrics in Zulu, a commonly spoken language in South Africa, as does "Seasons", although over a more modern beat and feel instead of the tribal. "I Am" and "The Ways" both lean R&B, but with very different results. "The Ways" has Khalid's free flowing sound to it as moves along through subdued trap, while "I Am" uses gritty, guitar over a slow yet steady beat to create a much darker, more sensual vibe that grooves.
There's also some really interesting lyrical elements to this album. Kendrick specifically raps from the prespective of two of the characters from the movie, T'Challa and Killmonger (the protagonist and [one of?] the antagonist). I doubt this is the first time an artist has done this for a movie soundtrack, but Kendrick does it in such a believable manner, showcasing both the hero and the villain and their perspective on aspects. At the very beginning of "Paramedic!", Kendrick says "I am Killmonger", indicating that the song is supposed to be from his perspective or inspired by his character (which I find is interesting, given that it's probably the grittiest, more underground sounding track, which might be seen as showing him as being more rough or less noble, as what we have seen of T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War was a very regal character, although he isn't afraid to get in the middle of the fight). "Bloody Waters" starts with the line "meet the man in the mask", which might indicate this one is from the perspective of T'Challa, and shows a very different feeling and vibe than "Paramedic!" reveals of Killmonger. The two come together at the end of "Seasons" with Kendrick's outro:
"I am T'Challa
I am Killmonger
One world, one God, one family
Celebration"
which then brings the point of duality, of good and bad existing together. I haven't seen the movie (obviously, since it isn't out), but I would imagine that we will probably find T'Challa and Killmonger working together at some point.
Beyond the movie tie-in lyrics, the majority of the lyrics fall in line with some of the more established and dominant themes found in rap music. A lot of the rappers featured on the album discuss their struggles growing up in dangerous and poor neighborhoods, of struggling and working incredibly hard to get where they are. There's also talk about the various material things they have now acquired through their new status and position in the world, but if you take that in the context of coming from poverty, coming from being in unsafe households and schools and cities, then it makes perfect sense. These people have come from a hard, hard place, one that I personally have not been in and cannot say that I understand what they've experienced. And now they've gotten themselves to a place where they don't have those same problems and worries, where they can provide for themselves and their families and those around them. So while I don't always find the lyrics that rotate around all their material perks of being wealthy and successful, I can understand the reasons for them and appreciate what they mean.
All in all, I found myself more and more impressed with this album the more I listened to it and did research. This is not your standard soundtrack; it was truly inspired by the movie and made as a part of it, not just another way to make more revenue on a product. These artists resonated with the movie they were creating sounds for, and the result is evident, it's authentic.
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended: "Opps", "Paramedic!", "I Am", "Seasons", "All The Stars"
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