Album Review: Various Artists - Black Panther: The Album

Produced and curated by Kendrick Lamar, Top Dawg Entertainment founder Anthony Tiffith and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: The Album is a celebration of black culture and art featuring some of music's most popular rappers and vocalists.

Lamar opens proceedings with the self-titled album track, spitting bars from the point of view of Black Panther's main character T'Challa over a piano loop that turns menacing. 2 Chainz proves he's one of the most underrated rappers around on the ScHoolboy Q and Saudi cut X. The differing styles of James Blake, Anderson .Paak and Ab-Soul somehow work on the melancholy Bloody Waters, while upcoming hip hop collective SOB x RBE come through with the aggressive banger Paramedic!

It's not all hip hop though, with R&B youngster Khalid teaming with Swae Lee (one half of rap duo Rae Sremmurd) for the 808s heavy The Ways and UK phenomenon Jorja Smith continuing to show she possesses one of the most seductive and appealing voices in music today with the slow jam I Am.

Despite the variety on offer, this is the Kendrick Lamar show. Officially credited with five tracks, he appears on numerous others and makes his presence felt throughout. The Compton rapper collaborates with SZA on the mesmerising All The Stars and with The Weeknd on Pray For Me, proving he can do pop just as well as rap. Lamar adds gravity to Vince Staples and Yugen Blakrok's Opps and demonstrates he can adapt to any style of music on the flute sampling Travis Scott collab Big Shot.

Black Panther: The Album is a cohesive collection of tracks showcasing some of the most inventive, forward-thinking and talented musicians and producers currently in the game while simultaneously cementing Lamar's legacy as one of the most important artists in the present day. If the film is only half as good as this album, it's going to be Marvel's best effort yet.