Michael Bay's live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles doesn't hit theaters until August 8, but music from the film's soundtrack has been released today, which features Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, and Ty Dolla $ign. The song comes from the end credits of the movie.
With TMNT being a family-friendly film, these rappers had to tame down their lyrical content for the kids. The song, called "Shell Shocked," relies on references to the film's characters, their catchphrases, and of course, pizza.
As Billboard notes, the melody for the song comes from the Brian Tyler's film score. Capitol Records artists Moxie Raia wrote the chorus and also sings on the track.
Paramount Pictures president of music Randy Spendlove told Billboard that they wanted to reach out to artists who were fans of the franchise to see if they would contribute to the soundtrack.
"It was brought to my attention there are a lot of artists in the hip-hop world that are big, true fans of this beloved property," he told Billboard. "We felt we should reach out to guys who really love the franchise and build an event."
He explained that A$AP Rocky was originally supposed to be featured on the track, but scheduling conflicts caused him to back out. However, Spendlove hopes that the rapper will do something on his own to honor the Ninja Turtles.
"When they asked me to do it, just being a fan and being a musician, it made sense," Khalifa, who has a Donatello tattoo on his calf, said in a statement. "In my generation, I think everyone who listens to me loves the Turtles as much as I do, so it just made sense."
Previous artists associated with the franchise are M.C. Hammer, Vanilla Ice, and Technotronic.
A video for the song is expected to come out next week. Check out "Shell Shocked" below, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
