Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Band: Breaking Down the “Great Gatsby” Soundtrack Posted by Lucas Garrison on 04/25/13 | Filed under Favorite Rappers Favorite Band

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months, you have most likely heard buzz around the new Baz Luhrmann taking on perhaps the most beloved American novel ever, "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.



If you are like me, the first thing you noticed was Jay Z and Kanye’s "No Church In The Wild". Its fitting not only because the decadent theme matches that of Luhrmann’s lavish 20’s landscape, but because Jigga both scored the movie and was the executive producer for the soundtrack. I have seen some complain that the soundtrack should be all Jazz as that’s what the 20’s was all about, but I for one am very excited to see this movie get a modern, likely hip-hop rooted makeover. You can take a listen to a sampler of the soundtrack, which gives us a small preview into the most buzz worthy cuts from the soundtrack.



The song I was most intrigued by was "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" collaboration between Fergie, Q-Tip and Goonrock who produced "Sexy and I Know It" and "Party Anthem" for LMFAO. Now, LMFAO and The Black Eyed Peas are two of my least favorite artists, I really cant stand either, but this song has such a cool vibe…and I haven’t even heard Q-Tips influence. This song perfectly resembles why choosing hip-hop rooted soundtrack was right for the film. I think hip-hop, perhaps more so than any other is very flexible and can be fused with other sounds to form a nice blend; "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" does that perfectly.

I love how the beat captures the essence of the 20’s Jazz/swing era but it still sounds perfect for a club/party today. I think that is a very important connection to make; hip-hop music is like 20’s jazz/swing in that it was prominent at grand parties and big social events. Take a look at this clip of 20’s music and parties.



Aside from the odd clothes and the fact that it is only rich white people, this 20’s party looks an awful lot like a club or music video. Hip-hop and the scene from The Great Gatsby might be strange bedfellows, but they definitely work. If any genre is going to be able to capture the excess driven, grandiose lifestyle of Fitzgerald’s New York, it has to be hip-hop, as hip-hop can be equally as gaudy. Hell, even some of the dance moves from the 20’s look oddly similar to some modern hip-hop moves, as both are based around one simple movement with some flare added to it.





From a hip-hop perspective (aside form dying to hear the "Crazy In Love" swing version) I am excited to hear more of Florence and The Machine cut. From the brief snippet showcased, it is hard to hear a strong hip-hop foundation, but FATM has been one of hip-hops favorite bands recently. A$AP Rocky featured Florence on I’m Apart and the group has been sampled by:

Hoodie Allen:


Logic, the newest Def Jam signee:


Game and Pusha-T’s “Name Me King”


Another group on the soundtrack that I think was a great addition is The XX. They are very unique duo with an electronic based sound that oozes hip-hop sampling. The pair’s work, specifically “Intro” has been chopped countless times.



Here is a collection of artists who have used the cut:

Mike Posner:


Blue Scholars:


Big Boi:


Does the fact that these artists have hip-hop backgrounds me the soundtrack will be totally hip-hop? No and nor should it. Jack White’s cut from the soundtrack (also in the preview) is one of my favorites and it has nothing to do with hip-hop. I think Jay-Z will do/has done an excellent job of creating a cohesive sound between a plethora of different sounds to pay homage to a specific era. It is his background in hip-hop that made him the man for the job, given how deeply rooted hip-hop is in drawing from different genres. The fact that hip-hop draws so heavily from other genres makes me think only the king of hip-hop could make this work.

While I have not heard where the songs are placed in the film, I am impressed at the soundtrack and how it captures the vibe of The Great Gatsby and modernizes while still keeping the soul intact…lets hope the movie can do the same.