Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and Lord Afrixana
The third season of MGM+’s 1960s-set The Godfather of Harlem. “I don’t pick artists based on their name, I pick them based on what we’re going to do,” says Swizz Beetz, the show’s music producer and creative director.
Beetz said he tried to use placement judiciously in putting together the show’s sonic universe. “Music is so powerful that I wanted to use it to give the characters real scenery,” he says.
Also, he didn’t want to frame himself by choosing music from the 1960s, but rather was given the creative freedom to use new artists, which helped him find the right approach and voice. rice field.
Forest Whitaker’s Bumpy Johnson is a notorious crime boss who will fight to maintain control of Harlem in Season 3. Beatz wanted the music to “become a voice in Forrest’s head and become part of the character”.
For the show’s theme song, “Hustle, Repeat” by Beatz and Jadakiss, Beatz says he started by focusing on the bad guys in the film.
Themed for this season’s cold weather, the song recalls the timeless vibe of East Coast hip-hop and features the anthem of Bumpy. In this scene, Bumpy and his friends pull off a successful bank truck robbery. “Bumpy has lost everything, so he has to get the money, hold on, and repeat,” Beets explains. “This song was born with Bumpy thinking in his head, ‘I have to figure it out and get over it,’ and that’s how it came about.”
Beatz wanted to do something strong, so they enlisted Rick Ross and DMX to help and add vocals. “Rick is a great storyteller and brings so much energy. He feels like nothing we’ve seen before,” Beets explains.
He recruited SAINt JHN, Fivio Foreign and BIA for the club vibe song “Street Opera”. Regarding this arrangement, Beets said: “I wanted to give young people something to think about and feel. It’s very dramatic and dangerous. Fivio went crazy on the track and I thought it would capture the scene and anchor it well into the show.”
When working with collaborators, Beatz first comes up with a track before asking who sounds good on it.
He explains: “We chose BIA because we needed female energy for ‘Street Opera’. confirm.”
Listen to the soundtrack below.
