Jay-Z to Score Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby Movie

January 02, 2013


Jay-Z spent his winter break hard at work on the score for Baz Luhrmann's upcoming film The Great Gatsby, according to a recent tweet by Jeymes Samuel, frontman of The Bullitts. Jay is no stranger to soundtracks: In 2007, he made a concept album to accompany American Gangster, the 1960's crime drama starring Denzel Washington, and in 2012, he soundtracked NBA 2K13, placing Meek Mill alongside The Dirty Projectors, Phoneix, Too Short, Roy Ayers Santigold and Mobb Deep.

The below trailer for Gatsby, now scheduled to hit theaters in May after some push backs, features Jay and Kanye's "No Church in the Wild." In October, cast member Adelaide Clemens told Indiewire that Prince and Lady Gaga were also contributing music to the film: "Some pretty huge artists have approached Baz and are writing songs for the film, and I don't think Warner Bros. are going to turn down Prince and Lady Gaga knocking down your door."

Gatsby won't be the first major director-helmed, Leonardo DiCaprio-starring film of recent memory with a soundtrack featuring anachronistic rap and R&B: Rick Ross and Frank Ocean wrote songs for Quentin Tarantino's bloody, alternate history fantasy Django Unchained (Ross' contribution made the film, Ocean's was ultimately cut.)

Jay-Z to Score Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby Movie