Rating: 4/5 stars

The “Black Panther” album was compiled and arranged by Kendrick Lamar, featuring artists like Khalid, Travis Scott, Jorja Smith and Vince Staples. The album was almost as highly anticipated as the movie it was assembled for. It also has as much variability as the man in charge of it. While the majority of the tracks fall within the rap and R&B genres, the combination of African musicality and hip-hop beats come together to engage the African diaspora in a way that is definitely indicative of the movie it was made to represent. The album explores themes of racism, belonging and power. Something notable about the album is that it is surprisingly “lacking” female representation. It is not detrimental to the collection, but it is an interesting parallel to the world of the movie.

“Black Panther” starts with the sound of someone striking a match or flicking a lighter and mysterious whispering,  hectic strings give way to while a simple piano line. Kendrick bursts in, listing titles: “King of my city, king of my country, king of my homeland / King of the filthy, king of the fallen.” Then a discordant electric guitar whines with booming drums to back them up. Kendrick starts chanting in the backing vocals, “King, king, king, king” as he raps on solidarity and standing against injustice.

“Sisters and brothers in unison / Not because of me / Because we don’t glue with the opposition / We glue with peace / But still’d f*** up your organization if any beef.”

“King’s Dead” is a wild upward scramble, as every element builds on the intensity of the last bar. It gets more and more frantic until finally exploding in the last seconds. A song meant to represent the villain of the movie, Erik Killmonger, is hostile and unapologetic. It ends with Killmonger Kendrick giving a “f*** you” to the entire world. This song represents a counter theme, so to speak, not belonging and not caring in the slightest.

“Redemption” is the most danceable song on the album. African drums and pop piano chords combine for a call-and-response, adlib-riddled musical experience. Zacari, a previous Kendrick collaborator, alternates between crooning and breathy falsetto. At about the one minute mark, South African singer Babes Wodumo starts with “Oh my word, oh my gosh, oh my word,” and though it is not really clear what is so exciting, her punchy delivery over the echoing backing vocals make it known that something big is happening.

Despite featuring multiple artists, this album is a standard album, in the technical sense. Movie notwithstanding, the album is able to stand on its own, although, without the film, the direct references to the characters in “Black Panther” might make it come off as the product of an eclectic nerdy rapper, which is not too far off from describing Kendrick Lamar. Being the executive producer of the album, Lamar was a lot more present than expected, having at least a few lines in every song. If you like Kendrick Lamar, this is a showcase of not only his performing prowess but also his tastes and ear on a production level. The album is not for the faint of heart. It is unapologetically black and aggressively honest, and it will not hesitate to remind you.

Image from JayRockVEVO via YouTube.com