Hip-Hop is Our Vibranium
April 7, 2018 4:12 PM Subscribe
If Wakanda has technology several centuries in advance of the rest of the world. Wouldn't they have invented digital music in the 17th century? Why would hip-hop made in the late 20th century out of American R&B, rock and other music be appropriate for the movie? Shouldn't they have their own unique style of music?
posted by Megafly at 3:25 PM on April 9, 2018
posted by Megafly at 3:25 PM on April 9, 2018
Because (out of universe) Kendrick Lamar is good but he doesn't have the foresight to develop centuries of unique new genres for just one album, and because (in universe) a smaller number of artists working from a smaller number of influences could easily produce a less varied body of work than real life music from around the world.
posted by fomhar at 9:56 PM on April 9, 2018
posted by fomhar at 9:56 PM on April 9, 2018
I don't know, why does Pacific Rim have rock and orchestral soundtracks? Why aren't there more Elvish chorals and Dwarven drumming in the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies? Why did Blade Runner's backdrop include electronica from the 80s? Black Panther is contemporary with the long running Marvel canon, which is set in the alternative present day for the most part but includes actual alien worlds. And so on.
I think this argument is rubbing me the wrong way because it's so damn rare to see a majority hip hop and rap soundtrack for a billion dollar blockbuster, curated by a current, relevant cultural touchstone in said genres. Yes, Wakanda is an African country, but the movie is made at least partially through an African-American diasporic lens. That's really important - it informs the cultural context for the movie's music and isn't even something brand new! The entire soundtrack for the original Guardians of the Galaxy is basically 80s hits because of the main character's attachment to his Walkman. And that's set in space.
MovableBookLady: Thank you so much for this post. Our backgrounds are completely different but you took a moment to link an interesting article that a lot of people would have otherwise passed by or derided. I really appreciate it.
posted by Freeze Peach at 9:45 AM on April 13, 2018
I think this argument is rubbing me the wrong way because it's so damn rare to see a majority hip hop and rap soundtrack for a billion dollar blockbuster, curated by a current, relevant cultural touchstone in said genres. Yes, Wakanda is an African country, but the movie is made at least partially through an African-American diasporic lens. That's really important - it informs the cultural context for the movie's music and isn't even something brand new! The entire soundtrack for the original Guardians of the Galaxy is basically 80s hits because of the main character's attachment to his Walkman. And that's set in space.
MovableBookLady: Thank you so much for this post. Our backgrounds are completely different but you took a moment to link an interesting article that a lot of people would have otherwise passed by or derided. I really appreciate it.
posted by Freeze Peach at 9:45 AM on April 13, 2018
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posted by allthinky at 2:39 PM on April 8, 2018 [1 favorite]