Wakanda Forever (Various Artists) - Soundtrack LP

Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M'Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.

Rihanna makes her long-awaited and highly-anticipated musical comeback with the lead single for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Music From and Inspired By soundtrack. "Lift Me Up" was written as a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman by Tems, Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, and Ryan Coogler. The song was recorded in five countries and was produced by Göransson. The soundtrack features over 40 international artists recorded in Lagos, Nigeria, Mexico City, London and Los Angeles including Tems, Fireboy DML, OG DAYV Ft. Future, CKay Ft. PinkPantheress, E-40 and many more.

Ludwig Göransson, who has two Emmys, two Grammys and an Oscar to his credit, composed and produced both the score and the original songs on the soundtrack. His extensive work producing artists (Childish Gambino, Adele, Haim, Justin Timberlake) as well as his work scoring films and TV series (Black Panther, Creed, The Mandalorian) made him uniquely qualified to helm both parts of the soundscape.

For their fourth cinematic collaboration, Ryan Coogler and Göransson set out to create an innovative soundscape where Göransson says, "The songs and score are one." The two artists have talked about this approach since their days attending USC Film School, and finally made it a reality with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In what became a massive labor of love, Göransson spent over 2500 hours recording the score and soundtrack – which involved six studios, across three continents and five countries. Over the course of the film, the audience will hear over 250 musicians, two orchestras, two choirs and over 40 vocalists.

Coogler was intimately involved in the creation of the music for the film, from co-writing lyrics on the Rihanna track "Lift Me Up" to suggesting the cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" performed by Nigerian singer/songwriter Tems and bridged together with Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" for the film's instantly viral trailer. Göransson said, "Ryan and I talked about the importance of creating an immersive journey of sound and voice. If we used a song in the film, we wanted it to be the entire song, and to be connected to the story. Thematically, we wanted to move the audience from grief to celebration. When you listen to the soundtrack, you can close your eyes and relive the experience of the movie. That was the intention."

Given the story is inspired by both Nigerian and Mesoamerican cultures, recording sessions were set up in both Lagos, Nigeria, and Mexico City, Mexico, as well as Abbey Road Studios in London. Producers worked with popular artists from Lagos including Tems, which has become a hotbed of musical innovation. In addition, emerging rappers and artists from Mexico City are featured on the soundtrack including rapper Pat Boy, who raps entirely in Mayan. While in Mexico City, Göransson worked closely with music archeologist Alejandro Rojas to explore and research Mayan music. Instruments native to both Nigerian and Mesoamerican cultures were featured in the creation of the soundscape.