We’d be lying if we told you that the soundtrack to The Great Gatsby isn’t subpar. Though it has an all-star cast, much like the movie it’s tied to, there’s something  overwhelmingly lame about it. Nevertheless, it did remind us of other times when hip-hop and movies collided. For your listening pleasure, we’ve compiled these special moments below.

4. Bad Boys 2 

Though this is the soundtrack to a Michael Bay movie,  it’s genuinely not as scatter-brained as that connection would imply. While some of the songs were not originally recorded for the record, the true beauty of the album is how well it flows. Also, this is probably the last project where Bad Boy artists were collectively visible.

Highlight: Notorious B.I.G. ft. 50 Cent – Realest Niggas

3. Blade 2

In the cultural landscape of 2013, it’s a little difficult to imagine a movie with swords and vampires as anything other than a clusterfuck, but we implore you not only to watch this movie, but to listen to this soundtrack. The blurring of the lines between EDM and hip-hop are the talk of the town these days, but this phenomenon is far from recent. This soundtrack is living proof. Some of the hottest electronic producers paired with the some of the hottest emcees and the result was of course, pure fire.

Highlight: Massive Attack & Mos Def – I Against I*
*(Make sure your bass is turned up)

2. The Man With the Iron Fists

The quality of RZA’s directorial debut is divisive, but no one can disagree on the quality of the music. With the exception of that strange song with Ghostface and Wiz that comes at the tail-end, its a cohesive project throughout, particularly on the production side (Shouts to Frank Dukes). In fact, even Corrine Bailey Rae did some work on the boards.

HIGHLIGHTS: Wu-Tang Clan – “Six Directions of Boxing
Kanye West – “White Dress”

1. Space Jam

Even among other children’s movies, Space Jam is a bizarre creature. Featuring Looney Tunes, aliens, Michael Jordan and even Bill Murray, it might be the single most “90’s: cultural artifact ever spawned. Nevertheless, the soundtrack is purely extraordinary. Beginning with Seal’s enrapturing cover of “Fly Like an Eagle,” it lifts you immediately and doesn’t let you touchdown for even a moment. Much like the plot for Space Jam, this soundtrack is a pure singularity.

Highlight: EVERYTHING.

The post 4 Movie Soundtracks That Are Better than The Great Gatsby’s appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

2012 has been a great year for compilation albums. MMG, Odd Future, DJ Khaled and G.O.O.D. Music have all released compilation albums this year, with moderate to impressive sales. That being said, 2012 hasn’t been the best year for the purchasers of compilation albums. Each of the albums mentioned above had its moments, but overwhelmingly the albums lacked cohesion. Diversity didn’t go so well and collaborations came across as too random. Artists just arbitrarily seemed bunched together, as if they didn’t even know who else was on the song (i.e. Jay-Z not shouting out Big Sean on “Clique”). The soundtrack to the Man With the Iron Fists, produced by RZA, doesn’t follow suit.

The album begins with “The Baddest Man Alive,” a saucy collaboration between The Black Keys and RZA. Rapping over The Black Keys guttery guitar riffs, RZA modifies his voice in a way that makes it sound like he’s simultaneously drowning and riding a roller coaster. Spitting absurdities such as “bear hug a grizzly, suck milk from her titty” and “I’ll date rape beauty right in front of the beast,” RZA sounds like he might have been hanging out with Odd Future circa 2010, but he still maintains that Wu-Tang aesthetic with the tone of the track, which seems to feature a Chinese flute (maybe a dizi?).

The fusion of Black culture and Kung-fu elements that the Wu is known for emerges throughout the album, unsurprisingly most notably on the Wu tracks “Rivers of Blood” and “Six Directions of Boxing.” On both tracks, the Killer Bees go back to basics, showing why and how they became legends in the first place. Interestingly, the tracks (and most of the album) are produced by Frank Dukes. Fusing old elements and new elements, the young producer is able to both preserve and progress. This successful combination of the old and new – in content and in creation – is undoubtedly what allows the Wu to maintain their status.

While the Wu aesthetic is the backdrop to the album (which is expected since the album is the soundtrack to a kung-fu movie directed by RZA!), songs without Wu members stand out just as strongly. On “White Dress,” for example, Kanye reminds us of the power of the soul samples that brought him to fame a decade ago. Even though the song is about his relationship with Kim Kardashian, Kanye’s earnestness is heartfelt. He’s been kind of cold lately, but “White Dress” shows that there’s still an endearing college dropout buried underneath the Louis Vuitton crown of that oftentimes unfamiliar man on the throne. On “Chains,” Corrine Bailey Rae also makes a heartfelt contribution via soulful production and vocals. Movingly singing about Chains, she really demonstrates the power of her young voice. Hearing this song will make you sad, but in the best way possible.

To be clear, the album doesn’t just alternate between soul and Wu-Tang era boombap. On “Green is the Mountain” Chinese pop singer Frances Yip sings in Chinese!

In the end, the album is a solid project and a testament to the power of strong collaborations. Artists don’t have to collaborate face-to-face to make a good track, but when it’s apparent that there was little artistic interaction beyond a few emails or brief studio sessions, tracks suffer. The soundtrack to The Man With the Iron Fists doesn’t have that problem. Each track, no matter how it was put together and recorded, feels organic and the album as a whole follows suit. Hopefully the movie does the same.

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Around the age of 13, 14, I saw a film called 36TH Chambers, a Shaw Brothers film….. the story of this movie resonated with me more than American history, because here we had a man who was being oppressed by the government, they destroyed his schools for teaching philosophy, and he had to flee after they killed his family to a place to learn martial arts, Shaolin, to build himself up. And he comes back and becomes a man that teaches his philosophy of Shaolin to the regular people so that they could grow to be stronger. That was something, though, that I was going through in America at that time, when racism was strong in my neighborhood and the history of Blacks.. well there was no history. I didn’t think the black man existed past slavery. And then seeing history with another group of people going on with the same oppression and the same struggle that we’re fighting for- it resonated with me.

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“If you’re built for this ish, then you must survive.”

This newness comes off of RZA‘s masterful creation that is The Man With The Iron Fists Soundtrack, which is out October 23. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Method Man, but he looks healthy with his new appearance. The music vid is brought to us courtesy of DanTheMan. RZA’s star-filled soundtrack includes features from Kanye West, Danny Brown and Flatbush Zombies among other emcees. Be sure to check out the Quentin Tarantino-assisted film, which hit theaters November 2.

The post Video: Method Man, Freddie Gibbs & StreetLife – “Built For This” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

RZA’s highly anticipated soundtrack hits stores this Tuesday, but you can hear the whole thing now. The project features appearances from Kanye West, Pusha T, the Wu-Tang Clan, Danny Brown and more. Stream it in its entirety below.

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RZA keeps the good music coming off the soundtrack to The Man With The Iron Fists. This time he releases a new Wu-Tang track entitled “Six Directions of Boxing”. This track will be featured on an exclusive, limited edition set that RZA is releasing. It’s been a while since we have heard Wu-Tang on a track, and it is always great when they come together. Don’t forget the soundtrack to The Man With The Iron Fists wll be dropping on October 23. Enjoy the track below.

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As RZA gears up for the release of The Man With The Iron Fists OST on October 23rd, he drops another track to quench our musical thirst. “Black Out” is the second track off the album and features Ghostface Killah, M.O.P and Pharoahe Monch. Can’t be mad with a lineup like that. Enjoy the track below.

The post New Music: Ghostface Killah, M.O.P & Pharoahe Monch – “Black Out” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.