One of the most talked about films out right now is the phenomenal dystopian magical-realism movie “Sorry to Bother You,” and the mastermind behind it all is director and screenwriter Boots Riley. What you may not know is that Riley has in fact been making radical political art in the same vein for decades; not as a film creator, but as one third of the incredible Activist West Coast hip hop outfit The Coup.
Given his background as a musician and rapper, and particularly a musician of the caliber to create such masterpieces such as 1993’s Kill My Landlord, 1994’s Genocide & Juice and 1998’s Steal This Album (perhaps System of a Down took some inspiration?), it is unsurprising that the soundtrack to “Sorry to Bother You” is as loaded with hype as the film itself.
Riley actually announced back in June that the Coup will be working on an original soundtrack for the film, titled The Soundtrack to Sorry to Bother You (fitting), not to be confused with the Coup’s 2012 album that is also titled, confusingly, Sorry to Bother You.
Just this past Sunday, Riley tweeted the tracklist to the upcoming soundtrack album, including featured artists like the tUnE-yArDs, Killer Mike, Janelle Monae, E-40, and starring actor Lakeith Stanfield himself.
Check out the Tweet itself and the Lakeith Stanfield featuring track “OYAHYTT” below.
The Coup #SorryToBotherYouSoundtrack
OYAHYTT w @lakeithlakeith
Hey Saturday Night w @tuneyards
Anitra’s Basement Tapes
Whatthegirlmuthafuckinwannadoo w @JanelleMonae
Monsoon w @KillerMike
Level It Up
OutAndOver w @JanelleMonae
We Need An Eruption
CrawlOutTheWater w @E40
— Boots Riley (@BootsRiley) July 22, 2018
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat