Sophia Michaels
The sounds of Nigeria, Lagos, Mexico City, London, and L.A. make their way onto the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The stacked track list for the film was announced on Wednesday, revealing the lineup of artists set to join Rihanna and her lead single “Lift Me Up.”
Among the songs featured on the tracklist are “Alone” by Burna Boy, a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” by Tems, “Limencello” by OG DAYV featuring Future, and “Anya Mmiri” by CKay and PinkPantheress.
“As a black man, Black Panther is very close to my heart. Being a part of such a moment that celebrates and elevates black culture worldwide is something I’m very proud of,” CKay said in a statement. “Working with Ludwig Göransson, P.Priime and PinkPantheress on ‘Anya Mmiri’ in Lagos, Nigeria was a pleasure. From being a kid watching Marvel movies and reading the comic books, to being a part of one with my music is a dream come true. Baby CKay would be very proud of me.”
Also on the album, E-40 and Snow Tha Product represent the Bay Area with their song “La Vida,” while Stormzy brings his London rap on “Interlude,” and Fireboy DML reps Nigeria on “Coming Back For You.”
Since the storyline of the new film was inspired by both Nigerian and Mesoamerican cultures, director Ryan Coogler and composer Ludwig Göransson set up studios on both continents and tapped into emerging rappers and artists from Lagos, Nigeria, and Mexico, including Pat Boy, who raps completely in Mayan on “Laayli’ kuxa’ano’one.”
“Ryan and I talked about the importance of creating an immersive journey of sound and voice. There would be no needle drops here,” Göransson said in a statement. “If we used a song in the film, we wanted it to be the entire song and to be connected to the story. Thematically, we wanted to move the audience from grief to celebration.”
He added, “When you listen to the soundtrack, you can close your eyes and relive the experience of the movie. That was the intention.”
Kendrick Lamar was tasked with leading the soundtrack for the original 2018 film, featuring songs like “All the Stars” with SZA, “X” with 2 Chainz and Schoolboy Q, “King’s Dead” with Jay Rock, Lamar, Future and KAmes Blake, along with “Pray for Me,” which featured Lamar and The Weeknd.
The soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, while “King’s Dead” won for Best Rap Performance. Its music also earned nominations in the Album, Song, and Record of the Year categories.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to premiere in theatres on Nov. 11. See the film’s tracklist below:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By
1. “Lift Me Up” – Rihanna
2. “Love & Loyalty (Believe)” – DBN Gogo, Sino Msolo, Kamo Mphela, Young Stunna and Busiswa
3. “Alone” Performed by Burna Boy
4. “No Woman No Cry” – Tems
5. “Árboles Bajo El Mar” – Vivir Quintana and Mare Advertencia
6. “Con La Brisa” – Foudeqush and Ludwig Göransson
7. “La Vida” – Snow Tha Product ft. E-40
8. “Interlude” – Stormzy
9. “Coming Back For You” – Fireboy DML
10. “They Want It, But No” – Tobe Nwigwe and Fat Nwigwe
11. “Laayli’ kuxa’ano’one” – ADN Maya Colectivo: Pat Boy, Yaalen K’uj, All Mayan Winik
12. Limoncello – OG DAYV featuring Future
13. “Anya Mmiri” – CKay featuring PinkPantheress
14. “Wake Up” – Bloody Civilian featuring Rema
15. “Pantera” – Alemán featuring Rema
16. “Jele” – DBN Gogo, Sino Msolo, Kamo Mphela, Young Stunna and Busiswa
17. “Inframundo” – Blue Rojo
18. “No Digas Mi Nombre” – calle x vida and Foudeqush
19. “Mi Pueblo” – Guadalupe de Jesús Chan Poot
