Every once and a while, a film soundtrack actually manages to stand as a solid hip-hop release. While they generally lack the cohesion to stand alongside a classic solo album, a good soundtrack is an exciting listen nevertheless. In fact, in rare instances like the Eminem-curated 8 Mile album, the project may yield some truly impressive work. While the Black Panther album doesn't quite find Kendrick at his peak, it remains an fun and generally solid listen from start to finish, the aural equivalent of its cinematic counterpart.
It doesn't hurt that the project brought out new jams from Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, SZA, Vince Staples, 2 Chainz, Future, Anderson .Paak, James Blake, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, and Swae Lee. On paper, the line-up is a veritable all-star game, highlighting one of the game's most consistent labels in TDE. And seeing as Kendrick Lamar is among the world's true commercial darlings, it's no wonder that his brainchild has led to yet another commercial success from the DAMN. auteur.
A report from HDD signifies that the album (as TDE's powers that be would prefer to avoid calling it a soundtrack) is headed for a strong first week, with projected sales of between 110k–120k. Apparently, between thirty-five and forty thousand of those came from traditional sales. It's a good look for Kendrick, who continues to expand his real estate. Check out the album, and get ready for Black Panther to hit theaters on February 16th.