The Black Panther OST was not technically a Kendrick Lamar album, but there is no song on the project that the rapper is not directly involved in. Lamar is listed as a performer on 5 of the 14 tracks, and credited as a songwriter on each and every one. He also makes some uncredited appearances as a vocalist throughout the OST. Needless to say, Kendrick took his position as "curator" of the soundtrack very seriously, but in a message on Twitter, he's made sure to show respect for the large team that made the effort possible.
"Respect to all the artist/producers that allowed me to execute a sound for the soundtrack, he said. "The concept of producing and composing a project other than my own has always been ideal. I appreciate the experience love ones. Continue to be great."
Those contributors Kendrick is thanking are too many to name, but include, on the production side, Sounwave, BADBADNOTGOOD, Frank Dukes, Mike WiLL Made It, Doc McKinney, and Cardo. As far as vocalists are concerned, TDE artists like SZA, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolboy Q make appearances, as well as rising west coast forces Mozzy and SOB x RBE. Not to mention The Weeknd, Jorja Smith, Future, Swae Lee, Khalid, and Travis Scott.
Kendrick has previously spoken of his appreciation of the movie itself, which will be given a wide release this coming Friday, February 16th. “Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is amazing, from its cast to its director,” he said. “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 Ryan and Marvel’s vision.”
Listen to the full project, released this past Friday, here.