After teasing everyone with the Tems co-written Rihanna ballad Lift Me Up, the full Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Soundtrack has finally made its way to the public, and it takes a significantly different direction than the 2018 soundtrack for the first film.
While Kendrick Lamar was at the helm of the first Black Panther album in 2018, the film’s soundtrack was very American, with appearances from SZA, Travis Scott and The Weeknd. Kendrick seemed to ignore the African heritage that inspired the fictional kingdom of Wakanda and made the album like T’challa (Chadwick Boseman) was an Atlanta-based superhero.
Finally giving Black Panther and its fans the album we deserve, The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever album is a diverse mix of Nigerian, South African and Mexican sounds. Despite featuring international stars like Future, Stormzy and Rihanna, it’s African stars like Tems, Burna Boy, Fireboy, Busiswa, Ckay, Bloody Civilian, DBN Gogo and Rema that steal the show.
Taking us on a journey from grief to celebration as Wakanda tries to deal with the loss of T’Challa and Chadwick Boseman in real life), these are the standout songs from the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
Anya Mmri — CKay and PinkPantheress
It’s hard to listen to the flutes on Anya Mmri (translates to tear-filled eyes) and not remember those Old Nollywood films with Pete Edochie as the king and Genevieve Nnaji as the resident village maiden. The combination of ancient Igbo flutes and house-like beats is great, but the unexpected collab between Ckay and PinkPantheress (two artists who blew up on TikTok) is what makes Anya Mmri an attention grabber on the soundtrack.
People always ask us to hold on to the memories when dealing with heartbreak or pain, but like CKay and PinkPantheress sing on Anya Mmri, sometimes, the memories are not enough.
Alone — Burna Boy
Remember when we said Burna Boy was in his sad boy era? Well, it looks like Damini has found another record to channel his deepest thoughts into. Reflecting on the need to be grateful for every second, Burna Boy’s Alone fits perfectly in this album about celebrating life amid grief.
Even though the song is titled Alone, listening to Burna Boy sing on it, you start to realise that the last thing this man wants right now is to be alone.
Pantera — Aleman and Rema
We all know Rema can sing (and whisper like he did on Soundgasm), but why didn’t this man tell us he could rap too?
Collaborating with Mexican rapper Aleman, Rema goes ham on Pantera. He mentions how he doesn’t condone violence, violence condones him. His flows on this song are so smooth it’s easy to assume he’s been doing this rap thing for a while. Come through, Mr Divine.
Love & Loyalty — DBN Gogo, Sino Msolo, Kamo Mphela, Young Stunna and Busiswa
Love & Loyalty is hands down one of the best amapiano songs I’ve heard this year. Coming right after Rihanna’s deeply moving Lift Me Up on the album’s soundtrack, the song is not upbeat enough to have you stepping like crazy in the club, but it still has enough energy to ginger you.
I had Love & Loyalty on repeat in the gym, so I highly recommend it for moments when you just need that extra push to do something.
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Interlude — Stormzy
Probably one of the saddest songs on the album, Stormzy’s Interlude dives deep into the concept of grief and how to move on after someone you love dies. My favourite rap genre is when rappers get really vulnerable and rap-sing about their deepest emotions.
On Interlude, Stormzy understands that blaming or questioning the person who died won’t do anything to bring them back, but he can’t help himself from doing it. It’s a sad song about channelling pain, and I can see this playing during a scene with Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister, who’s been rumoured to be the new Black Panther.
Coming Back For You — Fireboy DML
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Fireboy DML’s Coming Back For You is the next song on the album after Stormzy’s Interlude.
Although Fireboy sings Coming Back For You like a romantic song, a closer listen to the lyrics will show that it’s more or less a response to Interlude. “When the tears fall like shooting stars, remember who you are,” he sings on the bridge before adding, “Look up to the sky, and you’ll see. I’m coming back for you.” His reassurance that they’ll never be alone makes Coming Back For You feel like a warm hug from the great beyond — or wherever you believe dead people go.
Wake Up — Bloody Civilian and Rema
If you haven’t heard of Bloody Civilian before (and didn’t listen to her incredible song, Goliath, before it was taken off streaming), please go listen to How to Kill A Man as soon as you finish listening to Wake Up. As the only somewhat unknown Nigerian artist on this soundtrack, Bloody Civilian holds her own on Wake Up, leading Rema on a mission to wake everyone up for war.
And yes, Rema raps again.
ALSO READ: We Ranked Some Of Rema’s Best Songs
