Southpaw, a film directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jake Gyllenhall that tells the story of a boxer who tries to get his life and career back on track, features a soundtrack executively produced by Eminem. Released through Shady Records, and featuring new music from Shady himself, as well as some Bad Meets Evil cuts and tracks from Slaughterhouse, Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$ amongst others. This is the second soundtrack release by Shady Records, the first, obviously, being 8 Mile, and it's a markedly different sound; it fits the film's theme with its triumphant, powerful and energetic hip-hop soundtrack.
Kings Never Die, which features Gwen Stefani and is produced by DJ Khalil, is an emphatic track from Eminem. It follows Cry For Love (Part 1), composed by James Horner who scored the film and sadly died in June this year in a plane crash. Shady's staccato flow over the strikingly polished production is delivered excellently; the track isn't especially raw or gritty, but the pride and the passion on show lend themselves both to the sport of boxing, and the sport of rap. The following track Beast, by Rob Bailey & The Hustle Standard, featuring talented lyricists Busta Rhymes, KXNG Crooked and Tech N9ne, is a high octane ride, with convincingly decisive flows from each MC.
The crisp What About The Rest Of Us, by Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$ and featuring the talented singer/producer Rico Love, is successful. The punchy live drum sound and the overall subtlety in the production of the track make it professional and enjoyable, and Action and Joey bring that authentic east coast flavour. Slaughterhouse most definitely turn up for R.N.S. A dramatic and intense slow-paced Araab Muzik and Just Blaze production backs the supergroup, comprised of Royce Da 5'9", KXNG Crooked, Joe Budden and Joell Ortiz, as they drop passionate verses demonstrating a variety of flows and impactful deliveries.
Continue reading: Southpaw - Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture Album Review
