This weekend, fans will enjoy new music from Brent Faiyaz, Chris Brown, Roddy Ricch and countless others. However, fans don’t have to simply celebrate music through their favorite streaming service or nearest concert hall. Timeless music will be celebrated at movie theaters across the country. Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis Presley is set to hit big screens from coast to coast. While telling the story of Presley’s life, Butler and his castmates will be backed by a soundtrack featuring some of the brightest stars in all of Rap, Pop and R&B. Many may question why the music of today’s brightest stars will comprise the soundtrack instead of classic acts, but director Baz Luhrmann explained the decision succinctly during a recent Entertainment Weekly interview.
“When I went to do Gatsby, Fitzgerald wrote African-American street music, jazz numbers, into the novel. He coined the term Jazz Age. Jay-Z and I realized that the translation of jazz must be hip-hop. We were translating not only what it was, but what it felt like,” he explained.
“How are young people going to understand what it felt like when Elvis was first performing? A lot of people don’t understand the punk Elvis, the vibrant youth rebel he was in the ’50s. People hadn’t seen something like this on stage, especially on television. It started to tear off the chains of society at that time. We wanted to have the audience feel that.”
Luhrmann’s vision made way for a soundtrack that includes Swae Lee, Nardo Wick, Denzel Curry, Doja Cat and several other stars. The project also includes legends like Stevie Nicks, Eminem and CeeLo Green. Check out the complete soundtrack below as the film prepares to hit theaters this weekend.
