Jay-Z to score ‘Great Gatsby’ out of Jazz Age with rap

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z expands his horizons as he lends his musical talents to score one the most anticipated films of 2013. Some of us might have seen it coming when we heard his voice in the first trailer of “The Great Gatsby,” which featured “No Church in the Wild” by Jay-Z and Kanye West, featuring Frank Ocean. While West was busy collaborating with Kim Kardashian, it was announced late December that Jay-Z will collaborate with producer/singer/filmmaker Jeymes Samuel of The Bullitts to score “Gatsby.” Samuel tweeted: “Jay-Z and myself have been working tirelessly on the score for the upcoming #CLASSIC The Great Gatsby! It is too DOPE for words.” We wouldn’t expect anything less than dope from the influential rapper.

Films have so many important components. From the costumes to the sets, casting to editing, music is just one piece of the production — although a very crucial piece. To find the perfect song to encompass the exact emotion and sentiment of a scene can evoke a powerful response from the audience. Baz Luhrmann, the director of “The Great Gatsby,” is known for pairing classic movies with modernized soundtracks as seen in “Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge.”

“The Great Gatsby,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, is based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald and is set during the Jazz Age. But there is nothing 1920s about Jay-Z. In fact, Jay-Z has been in the music industry for decades — a feat that cannot be done without staying up-to-date with an artistic direction and vision.

The juxtaposition of the upbeat hip-hop/rap style Jay-Z is known for can certainly put a twist on the American classic. Instead of using music to set the time period, a more modern soundtrack can bring the liveliness of the parties and charm of the Roaring ’20s to life through beats and harmonies we are more familiar with and can connect with on a more intimate level. The connection drawn between the viewer, the song and where we normally hear that song can evoke memories and tie similarities and as a result, bring a certain level of reality to fiction.

The anticipation can only build as more and more A-list stars contribute to this summer’s hit (Lady Gaga and Prince are also rumored to appear on the soundtrack). This unpredictable yet expected collaboration will add a touch of the 21st century to the 20th century. The constant contrast between time periods will definitely shine a new light of this remake.

“The Great Gatsby” is set to hit theatres May 10.