Luke Cage Luke Cage Soundtrack

[BarryAllen]

Surprised that there hasn't been a thread on this already, but a lot of the interviews regarding the show have mentioned Luke Cage having a different "musicality" surrounding it than Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Earlier on, a guy saying he worked on the scoring for the show (revealing details like Cage living above a Chinese restaurant which turned out to be true) talked about the tone of the show and the score on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/3lx53q/possible_spoilers_new_luke_cage_info/) :

I work for a music sync company and we recently had this description come through for music needed in an episode of Luke Cage.

"Luke Cage is written by Cheo Coker (Ray Donovan, Southland) and the first two episodes are being directed by Paul McGuigan (Sherlock Pilot, Scandal Pilot). Played by Mike Colter, it is the story of a bulletproof, super-powered man on the run from the law who, despite his checkered past, can’t help but become a hero. We like to say it's all Marvel but closer in tone to The Wire.

TONE: Luke Cage is a dark, yet vibrantly kinetic world with cinematic scope -- SHAFT meets CITY OF GOD. The music is hip-hop in all its bombast and complexity, a living, breathing character in the show, with song choices ranging from the instantly recognizable classics to the fresh, next big thing. This unique tone will be the backdrop as we tell the story of a superpowered escaped convict at war with himself, who sets up shop in a community at war with itself. Marvel represents family entertainment. Our series will never show tobacco smoking or drugs. We are PG-16, never rated R.

SETTING: The Harlem of right now. A patchwork of brick-and-mortar history and a highrise future. Predominantly Black, the area is nevertheless a mosh pit of income brackets and ethnicities. Our hero, LUKE CAGE, moves in several worlds – he lives above a Chinese restaurant, and works for cash at a beloved barbershop by day. At night, he’s a dishwasher at a slick, gangster-owned nightclub. Within these different worlds Luke will notice a pattern: Harlem is plagued by crime, corruption, and gangsters, and needs a hero.

THEMES: Identity. Power. Manhood. Who is Luke Cage? Is he the escaped con that just wants to be left alone, or is he railing against his destiny to become a hero and better his community? Over the course of season one, Luke will grow into the hero we've been waiting for.
Luke Cage is the third of five Marvel premium Netflix series. It’s a dark, grounded, adult, premium cable show. Luke is one of Marvel’s most iconic “street-level” superheroes, with his origins going back to the early 1970’s, and he’s a huge fan-favorite."

So from the looks of it, music will be a big aspect of the show. I hope they choose hip hop songs that help set the tone for the show, and isn't just mainstream stuff. Hope we get some Nas, Common, Wu-Tang, AZ, Biggie, etc (and not just the obvious stuff too) as well as some newer artists (Kendrick, J Cole, and even soul singers like BJ the Chicago Kid). Diverse selection from all around but mainly East-Coast inspired. In addition, I do hope they pull on Harlem's long history and culture and incorporate jazz and R&B.

What are your guys's thoughts? What songs would you like to see used on the show?

 

[chamber-music]

Kano's Typical Me would make a good song for the show. The guitar riff could be a good character theme that weaves in and out the episode similar to how they use the Bond theme.

 

[Silvermoth]

I'm glad there was a bit of rap included in the Luke cage teaser. It suits him so perfectly

 

[BarryAllen]

The teaser trailer had Nas's Made You Look!!!!!! Super dope.

 

[Leo Zelinsky]

I didn't like the NaS song on tha teaser. I'm a big fan of that song and artist... but if Luke suppose to be a Harlem cat they need to include Big L, Murda Ma$e, or Killa Cam in the series soundtrack.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

I didn't like the NaS song on tha teaser. I'm a big fan of that song and artist... but if Luke suppose to be a Harlem cat they need to include Big L, Murda Ma$e, or Killa Cam in the series soundtrack.

It's NY. The music shouldn't have to be restricted by boroughs.

I mean if that's you're pov then Hip Hop wouldn't have evolved passed the KRS-One and Marley Marl beef.

As long as it's NY then we're good. And who better to represent an urban street level comic book character from NY than Nas in his prime? L is RIP, Ma$e has been wack ever since he ran away from Harlem, and Cam didn't survive his beef with Jay-Z.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

I want to see Luke stomp some fools out to M.O.P. on some Ante Up ****. Like one of those long ass fight scenes from Daredevil.

 

[the last son]

^^^ that would be epic lol

 

[Hypestyle]

Hopefully there will be a cross-section of black-derived music, based on the episode, characters and scenes: blues, gospel, R&B/soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, reggae etc.

 

[BlueLanternKal]

Sean Price - Onion Head

That hook sums up Luke Cage nicely. Also "Gangsta rappers can't fight so they rap about guns."

 

[eon001]

Nas set the tone off right. Music should be built on a foundation of NY hip hop. Would be nice if the mixed in some Jazz, funk and 60's Soul. I'll lose my mind if the played some James Brown "The Boss" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC2ZY2loo74

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

i loved the fact that the teaser used made you look

tv shows/movies that i've seen often don't use rap music on their osts so when they do i really like it

 

[BarryAllen]

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/13/cheo-hodari-coker-compares-luke-cage-wire

“It’s very sophisticated. I mean, it’s got a ’90s hip-hop vibe, but it’s really forward-thinking. We have Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad doing the scoring for us,” Coker says of the show, which focuses on Cage, who debuted during season 1 of Jessica Jones, and introduces comic book character Misty Knight to the Marvel television universe. “We have a lot of different musical appearances, but at the same time, we’ve got the Marvel action.

 

[Lencho01]

Maybe the music will sound like this at times...

[YT]ixir3vte4Ow[/YT]

 

[BlueLanternKal]

ATCQ huh? Not bad. Now I'm wondering what the score will sound like outside of the soundtrack. RZA from Wu-Tang is a beast at scoring. If it sounds anything like that then at the very least it will sound good.

And name dropping the Wire is ballsy so we'll see where that goes. Will Luke Cage be about Harlem itself like the Wire was about Baltimore?

 

[BarryAllen]

Maybe the music will sound like this at times...

[YT]ixir3vte4Ow[/YT]

That's got a great soul feeling to it.

Apparently this duo also produced 06 from Kendrick Lamar's untitled unmastered. I haven't listened to that, so does anyone know if that was any good?

 

[BlueLanternKal]

Ali was a part of A Tribe Called Quest. A little before my time, but these dudes were consistently putting out classics. So I'm thinking it's a solid choice.

Don't **** with Kendrick Lamar (nothing against those who do), so I can't tell you.

 

[Hypestyle]

I guess we'll see whether there will be a formal release of the soundtrack music-- I doubt there would be a CD release, but probably on ITunes.

 

[BarryAllen]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/a...ely-different-from-daredevil-or-jessica-jones

CBR News: Simone, Cheo, "Daredevil" had a very specific feel; "Jessica Jones" did too, while both clearly inhabiting the same territory. Where does "Luke Cage" fall in the spectrum between those two shows?

Coker: For me, hip-hop has always been black superhero music. And now we have a black superhero that matches the music. When you think about Wu-Tang, when you think about A Tribe Called Quest records like "Midnight Marauders," it's deep in the culture, but at the same time, it's become the new rock and roll. Everybody accepts it, everybody understands it.

That's really the vibe of the show -- on one hand, we're dealing with Harlem in ways that really haven't been dealt with. But at the same time, it's a superhero show. At the same time, you get to meet Luke Cage. You get to meet Misty Knight. You get to meet all these other characters. It's these comics come to life with a hip-hop vibe. It's incredibly fun.

Looks like we're definitely getting that East Coast hip hop vibe, which is awesome.

 

[BarryAllen]

I'd like the theme song to be the first verse of Common's Blue Sky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td1x2z7CjTI

What stands out to me is the line "I'm like a preacher that once was a fiend/ a story of change that came with wings", which fits Cage's journey from youth gang member to framed convict to community hero so well.

 

[BarryAllen]

And looking through the official twitter account for Luke Cage under following:

https://***********/LukeCage/following

In addition to following Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad who are scoring the project, the account is also following Nas (makes sense due to using his song in the teaser), Asap Ferg and the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

 

[BarryAllen]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFZYuEcNthJ/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFZXBKgxxam/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFZhAxqPPNn/

Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad wrap up their score for Luke Cage

 

[chamber-music]

I hope they use Nas hate me now

 

[Lencho01]

I'd like the theme song to be the first verse of Common's Blue Sky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td1x2z7CjTI

What stands out to me is the line "I'm like a preacher that once was a fiend/ a story of change that came with wings", which fits Cage's journey from youth gang member to framed convict to community hero so well.

That would be an interesting theme song.

 

[Hypestyle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOeIAM6TFLI


Common (produced by Kanye), "My Way Home" (featuring Gil-Scott Heron)