QUEEN & SLIM AND ITS IMPRESSIVE SOUNDTRACK

You should be super hyped for the upcoming film Queen & Slim by Lena Waithe and Melina Matsoukas. And even if the film doesn’t hit theaters until November 27 (Where You Watch will report on its home release). But thankfully, we’ve got the a taste of the movie’s impressive soundtrack. Released this week, it has new songs from Vince Staples, Megan Thee Stallion and an incredible comeback from Lauryn Hill.

“the strain of heaviness, flashes of lightheartedness, beauty, and intensity”

Queen & Slim is a beautiful film scored by Devonté Hynes and written and co-produced by Lena Waithe. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya who starred in “Get Out” and “Black Panther” along with Jodie Turner-Smith. Both play a young couple who are on the run from police after Kaluuya’s character shoots a police officer.

Although the movie packs a ton – the strain of heaviness, flashes of lightheartedness, beauty, and intensity, its impressive soundtrack comes bearing plenty of the same. There are about 17 songs that amazingly capture the journey of the movie’s lead characters.

“showcases the variety of talent across black artists with a perfect blend of various genres”

The soundtrack of Queen & Slim serves as an additional voice and showcases the variety of talent across black artists with a perfect blend of various genres. As mentioned before,  Vince Staples, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, The-Dream, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Coast Contra, and more. That’s an impressive roster.

The director of the film Melina Matsoukas is well known for her previous work directing music videos for Rihanna and Beyoncé. Lena Waithe, the award-winning writer, executive produced the soundtrack along with Ethiopia Habtemariam. Together, these three are a perfect aux cord DJs. They brought together a great mix of old and new favorites – from Mike Jones to Bilal to Roy Ayers.

There’s high energy fun in the movie’s soundtrack e.g. Burna Boy’s “My Money, My Baby”, the rocking “Cedes Benz” by The-Dream, “Ride or Die” by Megan Thee Stallion, and more. Add to that mix a feel-good collection of soft music i.e. “Yo Love” by Mereba, 6lack, and Vince Staples, “Doomed” by Moses Sumney, and “Getting Late” by Syd. Most of the songs are perfectly suited for a Bonnie and Clyde love story.

Among all these amazing songs, “Guarding the Gates” by Ms. Lauryn Hill is perhaps the most eye-catching entry on the Queen & Slim soundtrack. This newly released song for the film is the first new musical by Ms. Lauryn Hill released in six years. The song is over a decade old and has only been performed on stage by Ms. Lauryn Hill during her live shows. However, this is the first time “Guarding the Gates” has gotten the studio treatment.

The soulful vocals of the singer speak to anyone who listens on such a deep level that it opens your mind and makes you contemplate everything that you know. This 6-minute track is utter brilliance that leaves a great emotional impact and can leave you in tears.

Queen & Slim is set to release on November 27 before Thanksgiving but the impressive soundtrack of the film is already proving to be a huge cinematic success. You can stream it on Spotify.