Though it's barely past the first week of January, 2018 is shaping up excellently in the music scene. Earlier this week Lana Del Rey and Børns released a new single, then Bruno Mars released a remixed version of "Finesse" with Cardi B.
Now, there's another match made in heaven.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA partnered up once again and released a new track called "All the Stars," the lead single for the upcoming film Black Panther, the soundtrack for which Lamar is curating and producing aside from Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith of TDE.
Lamar previously teased being involved with the film via the music video for "Love," showing a film slate with the phrases "B. Panther," "Soundtrack," and "Coming Soon" all plastered on the surface. It immediately sparked speculation.
"Marvel Studios' Black Panther is amazing, from its cast to its director," said Lamar in a statement. "The magnitude of this film showcases a great marriage of art and culture. I'm truly honored to contribute my knowledge of producing sound and writing music alongside [director Ryan Coogler] and Marvel's vision."
This marks the first time Marvel has commissioned original songs for a film. The press release says Coogler himself reached out to Lamar personally to work on the film's soundtrack.
On the song, Lamar hints at what's presumably the characteristics of the film's titular superhero.
"Tell me what you gon' do to me / Confrontation ain't nothin' new to me / You can bring a bullet, bring a sword / Bring a morgue, but you can't bring the truth to me."
Meanwhile, SZA sings the chorus:
"This may be the night that my dreams might let me know / All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer."
It's been a terrific year for both Lamar and SZA. DAMN., Lamar's latest album, was just nominated for seven Grammy awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for "Humble." SZA is also up for five Grammy awards, including Best New Artist, Best R&B Performance for "The Weekend," and Best Urban Contemporary Album for Ctrl. The 60th Grammy Awards airs Jan. 28. Both DAMN. and Ctrl are included in our best albums of 2017 list, make sure to check that out.
The Black Panther soundtrack is coming out Feb. 9, while the film is hitting theaters Feb. 16.
You can listen to "All the Stars" below. Thrilled about Black Panther? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
