The Black Panther soundtrack is also one of the best rap albums of this young year, at once an expressive and cohesive addition to Kendrick Lamar’s oeuvre and a thoughtful mixtape from some of R&B and hip-hop’s best.
Though informed by the blaxploitation soundtracks of the ‘70s and the label-driven hip-hop soundtracks of the ‘90s, Black Panther: The Album is very much of its time: a well-produced and incredibly cohesive album with the loose swagger of a curated playlist.
How this all will works in the context of the film is an intriguing question, but it certainly hangs together as an standalone album, albeit a less consistent one than Lamar’s solo releases.
Given the level of the performances, the majority of the guests evidently approached this as a Kendrick Lamar album, not as a soundtrack. Black Panther: The Album serves both purposes well.
Black Panther: The Album is an instantly enjoyable project that allows its featured artists to shine under the watchful eyes and ears of Kendrick Lamar.
Kendrick’s Black Panther soundtrack is a unifying work – like a great, mixtape-like artist showcase – that captures the spirit of Coogler’s film perfectly.
Despite all its moving parts, and its by-the-numbers singles, Black Panther The Album is finely-tuned, aware of its audience, its objectives, and the stakes.
Black Panther The Album boasts compelling production and features, but is let down a bit by the core voices.
It’s a fine listening experience with some certified bops along the way, but even the slightest shred of scrutiny proves it doesn’t stand up to any other project Kendrick has masterminded. Not by a longshot.
Don't let the fact that this is a commercial Kendrick album distract you from the fact that they really did get Future screeching about getting his dick sucked on a Disney movie soundtrack.
This guy Various Artists needs to calm down on the albums. I swear he makes a new album like every week, just take a break and stop using so many features
1 | Kendrick Lamar - Black Panther 2:10 | 78 |
2 | Kendrick Lamar, SZA - All The Stars 3:52 | 90 |
3 | Schoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, Saudi - X 4:27 | 77 |
4 | Khalid, Swae Lee - The Ways 3:58 | 68 |
5 | Vince Staples, Yugen Blakrok - Opps 3:00 | 82 |
6 | Jorja Smith - I Am 3:28 | 77 |
7 | SOB X RBE - Paramedic! 3:39 | 76 |
8 | Ab-Soul, Anderson .Paak, James Blake - Bloody Waters 4:32 | 75 |
9 | Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, James Blake - King's Dead 3:45 | 84 |
10 | Zacari - Redemption Interlude 1:25 | 62 |
11 | Zacari, Babes Wodumo - Redemption 3:42 | 71 |
12 | Mozzy, Sjava, REASON - Seasons 4:02 | 72 |
13 | Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott - Big Shot 3:41 | 68 |
14 | The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar - Pray For Me 3:31 | 88 |
#1 | / | Yahoo Music |
#5 | / | The Independent |
#6 | / | Billboard |
#6 | / | NZ Herald |
#7 | / | Entertainment Weekly |
#8 | / | Complex |
#15 | / | Uproxx |
#16 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#16 | / | DJBooth (Hip Hop / R&B) |
#34 | / | Clash |