In case you missed it, Kendrick Lamar just released the music video for “Love” from his critically-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated album, DAMN. Now, if you’ve already watched the video, here’s something else you may have missed: Kendrick and video director Dave Meyers snuck a very exciting announcement into the video via the clapperboard that appears around the 1:54 mark of the video. That’s right, Kendrick Lamar is officially on Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther soundtrack.
The Ryan Coogler-directed big screen debut of Marvel Comics’ first Black superhero is due February 16, 2018, but it’s never too early to get on the hype train, right? For now, there’s no indication of just what Kendrick is contributing, whether it’s a song, an executive production credit, or whether the soundtrack will be tied into Top Dawg Entertainment in any other ways, but just knowing that the first mainstream Black superhero movie (all respect due to Spawn, Steel, and Meteor Man) will also include the involvement of one of the culture’s strongest advocates is yet another step in the right direction for a film that has only increased in anticipation as the release date nears.
Meanwhile, Kendrick’s Southern California neighbor (via Long Beach, right next door to Compton) Vince Staples also managed to musically make his mark on the Black Panther franchise, with his song “Bagbak” appearing in the trailer.
