Wakanda (and its tunes) Forever

Wakanda (and its tunes) Forever

                Black Panther is a movie that took the world by storm in early 2018. Not only was the movie successful for its role in showcasing the true talent of many different African American actors, who were the large majority of actors in the film, but the true overall experience of the movie was breathtaking and took the viewer to a place they had never been before, Wakanda. While this trip to Wakanda was something that was only possible to those watching the movie, which some viewers found out the hard wayafter watching the film, something that ties the film together so well is the music. Along with the music that Kendrick Lamar produced and put together for the official Black Panther album, the music under some of the most intense moments in the movie do a great job of making the entire cinematic experience one to remember.

                The real question is what separates the action music of Black Panther from that of its superhero movie brethren? Movies such as The Avengers have an iconic tune that most people will recognize when played, what makes Black Panther so much better?

The first thing that comes to mind is the way Kendrick Lamar made music; it wasn’t just to fill backgrounds with noise. He made this music like he would for a regular studio album. The music isn’t something that only those who watch the movie would recognize; these songs were good. These songs, such as Pray for Me (ft. The Weeknd) had a large place in the movie. One of these instances came in the Casino scene. T’challa is in the casino trying to make sure that the Vibranium that Wakanda generates does not get into the wrong hands and can be returned back. In the background, the radio hit Pray for Me sets the mood for the fight scene that is about to take place. The lyrics reflect what will happen in the upcoming minutes of the movie.

                Who gon’ pray for me? Take my pain for me? Save my soul for me? ‘Cause I’m alone ya see. If I’m gon’ die for you/ If I’m gon’ kill for you/ Then I spill this blood for you.

This reflects how T’challa feels about his country and how good of a leader he is. As soon as the bad guys enter the casino, the music changes and so does the mood. The music changes to a lower pitched, darker sounding, more aggressive sounding song. As the villains build suspense by working out their deal with diamonds for Vibranium, the music slowly starts picking up pace, almost like a heartbeat before a large fight breaks out, which was exactly what happened moments later.

Another great moment of music placement in the movie was at the end with the epic final battle scene. As T’challa returns back to Wakanda to reclaim the throne, the music is played by an orchestra and has instruments playing that sound like they signal a king entering. This is not by accident and helps validate the audience’s opinion that T’challa is the rightful king of Wakanda. As the fight progresses the music turns into a more unsure tone, especially once the rhinos are called to cause more chaos. The most important musical technique comes in the dramatic moments, just like when T’challa finally kills Erik Killmonger, the main antagonist of the film. The music was intense, just as the fight for the dagger was. This helps keep the audience on the edge of their seat because it isn’t clear who will win the fight, both men are so evenly matched. Just as T’challa drives the blade into Erik’s chest, the music drops and reflects the surreal mood in the theater. That one fatal strike is the first step in restoring Wakanda to its powerful position, away from the eye of the rest of the world and with T’challa as the true leader.

Music in movies isn’t something that is done to just cover up awkward scenes that need a filler. The musical production in Black Panther was done very well and should be a prime example of how a film should place music within their movie. Along with the music that Kendrick Lamar produced and put together for official Black Panther album, the music under some of the most intense moments in the movie do a great job of making the entire cinematic experience one to remember.