Regina King and LaKeith Stanfield in The Harder They Fall.
Netflix’s newest Western movie will no doubt be a thrilling ride. With a cast that features the likes of Regina King, Idris Elba and Jonathan Majors, among others, audiences are guaranteed a good time. However, The Harder They Fall doesn’t hit the streamer until Nov. 3.
Thankfully, we have the soundtrack.
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Released Oct. 29, The Harder They Fall Soundtrack is just as star-studded as its movie counterpart. The title track comes from Jamaican artist Koffee, while “Guns Go Bang” sees a legendary pairing in Kid Cudi and Jay-Z. The movie’s producer also hopped on the track “King Kong Riddim” with Jadakiss and Conway the Machine. Other standouts include “Black Woman” from Fatoumata Diawara and Lauryn Hill, “Ain’t No Better Love” from Seal” and “No Turning Around” from the writer-director himself, Jeymes Samuel, who also produced the soundtrack.
If you remember what a hold 2013’s The Great Gatsby soundtrack had on us, you’ll want to download this immediately. That all came as a result of Jay-Z and Samuel, who threw many for a loop by highlighting hip hop in a 1920s-set film, but nevertheless came out on top with hit singles like “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody,” “Bang Bang” and “Young and Beautiful.”
“Music in The Harder They Fall is as much The Harder They Fall as the script and the story. It's all one thing. For me music and film are the same things,” Samuel explained on Spotify’s enhanced version of the album. “It's all just storytelling.”
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Samuel’s feature directorial debut unfolds around a story of revenge. When crime boss Rufus Buck (Elba) is sprung from prison, Nat Love (Majors) must seek the vengeance of his parents’ deaths and to do so, reunites with his former crew of cowboys. It’s a true testament to the western genre that also brings the genre up-to-date.
The cast and crew alike can affirm the significance of music to Samuel’s process.
“The whole story is being driven by music,” King said. “He’s actually designing the shots to the music. Writing the words with a rhythm in his head.”
“The script was full of music notes,” cinematographer Mihai Malaimare added. “Every time we watched dailies together we listened to the music. Every meeting had some sort of music reference.”
The Harder They Fall Soundtrack is available on vinyl, CD, cassette and streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal.
See also: Actor LaKeith Stanfield Is Setting A New Standard For Hollywood
Photography by: David Lee/Netflix
