“There hasn’t been a soundtrack in a long time that was a real soundtrack and not just put together,” Kendrick Lamar told me about the music he created and produced for the superhero smash Black Panther. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper added, “Before recording, I had only seen the ideas, concept, and a two-minute clip . . . . I loved it. By the time we were done, we felt the music had its own identity.” Don’t be surprised if Lamar and his labelmate SZA perform the movie’s lead single, “All the Stars,” at the Oscars.
With A Star Is Born, director/actor/co-writer Bradley Cooper may have pulled off one of the most authentic music movies since Spinal Tap. And Lady Gaga, in the role she was born this way to play, sings on the film’s potential Oscar nominees: “Shallow,” “I’ll Never Love Again,” and “Always Remember Us This Way.” The hit soundtrack, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, also features contributions from Jason Isbell, Lukas Nelson, and Mark Ronson.
Oscar-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network) contributed songs to Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, Mid90s. The film also features fabulous mid-90s music, including songs from Bad Brains, A Tribe Called Quest, the Pixies, Misfits, and Cypress Hill.
This year, Oscar winner Eminem, a huge Marvel Comics fan, wrote the title song for that other Marvel movie, Venom. That song is also included on Eminem’s latest No. 1 album, Kamikaze (note the visual shout-out to the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill cover art). Additionally, Eminem shot a memorable video for “Venom” on top of the Empire State Building.
In 2002, Jay Z wanted a singer on his song “03 Bonnie and Clyde” and told me, “I knew one who was exceptional. Beyoncé can sing anything.” A year later, Beyoncé returned the compliment: “Jay rapped on `Crazy in Love’ and he added to the energy of it; it really completed the song.” This year, the Carters, after solo endeavors with themes that included accusations and apologies about marital infidelity, collaborated on their first full-length album, Everything Is Love. Wouldn’t it be ironic if after Jay shouted “F*** the Grammys” on that album, those awards made up for the previous best-album snubs to these two?
When was the last time everyone was talking about a music video? After hosting Saturday Night Live in May, Donald Glover’s often-shirtless alter ego, Childish Gambino, debuted his provocative video “This Is America” online. A searing commentary on gun violence, racism, and the current political climate in this country, the clip got more than 85 million views in its first week on YouTube, and was the most controversial and analyzed video of the year.
Drake’s Scorpion album had one billion first-week streams, was No. 1 for five straight weeks, and is another milestone in his massive body of work. Watch for it to be all about Drake at this year’s Grammys.
It’s no surprise that the artwork is upside down on Ariana Grande’s No. 1 album, Sweetener. After the terrorist attack at her 2017 Manchester concert, she’s had that kind of year, facing a bunch of highly publicized personal problems. Professionally, Sweetener garnered three billion streams and makes her a strong contender in multiple Grammy categories this February.
— Kate Middleton pays homage to a classic Meghan Markle look)
— Finding meaning in the ballad of Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson)
— How scheming men divided Mary Queen of Scots from Queen Elizabeth I)
— The many costumes of Melania Trump)
— It was a very weird year in pop music
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