Earlier this month, lucky moviegoers were able to check out the premiere of the JAY-Z, James Lassiter, and Jeymes Samuel-backed western The Harder They Fall. Set to land on Netflix in November, the ensemble film stars Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Lakeith Stanfield, and loads more.
Today (Oct. 28), The Harder They Fall’s eventual streaming release is preceded by its official soundtrack, a 14-track compilation that sees contributions from the likes of CeeLo Green, Koffee, Kid Cudi, Seal, Barrington Levy, and Lauryn Hill. The biggest, most immediate standout from the project is the Samuel-produced “King Kong Riddim,” a booming cut with JAY-Z, Conway the Machine, Jadakiss, and BackRoad Gee. The track was previously teased as a snippet in The Harder They Fall’s official trailer.
While all parties delivered some of the hardest-hitting bars to date, it’s none other than Hov who provides the show-stopping closer:
“We raised by wolves and the crack then, we the Chicago Bulls, nigga, back then, that boy Tiger Woods, don’t make me back nines, we paid in full, sheep skin with the wool, PTSD, from the concrete, jungle, I move a bundle, a hundo at my peak, my cocaine records stand up next to Meech, Tiger cups in the club, helicopters above, yeah, them flex weak, I speak Patois, yeah, Jamaican connection, Dominican with the bricks…”
JAY-Z’s inclusion on “King Kong Riddim” follows more than a few impressive appearances the billionaire great has made throughout the year, including on “What It Feels Like” with Nipsey Hussle, “SORRY NOT SORRY” with DJ Khaled, “Bath Salts” with DMX, “Jail” with Kanye West, and “Love All” with Drake. While his last official body of work, his thirteenth studio LP 4:44, came out four years ago, JAY was especially prominent on Jay Electronica’s long-awaited debut A Written Testimony last year.
Press play on the heavyweight New York-to-London collaboration.