Kendrick Lamar, the hip-hop iconoclast whose lyrical mastery and socially conscious anthems have garnered him a Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Awards galore, is now ready to conquer a new frontier: Hollywood.
Kendrick Lamar in All The Stars
The Grammy-winning rapper who worked on the soundtrack for the hit movie Black Panther, is interested in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an antagonist. He’s hoping to be a part of the future installments of the Black Panther series.
Kendrick Lamar Eyes Role in Black Panther Sequel After Album Triumph
Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger in Black Panther
In a 2018 interview with BBC Radio 1, Kendrick Lamar stated that he’s interested in playing an antagonist in a movie. He specifically pointed out how much he admired Michael B. Jordan‘s character, N’Jadaka (aka Erik Killmonger), from the Black Panther film. Killmonger is a fighter and mercenary from Wakanda, a high-tech African country. The rapper said:
“I really enjoy Killmonger’s character, just off the simple fact that he was a villain but he came with some real [talk]. … He was a villain but he was loved and misunderstood. So if I could, I’d play a Killmonger for sure.”
The reason K-Dot connected with the character is how relatable it is to him. Killmonger’s backstory and goals also challenged viewers’ perceptions of heroism and villainy.
Black Panther‘s Phenomenal Success and Cultural Impact
Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther
Black Panther has been a huge hit, loved by both critics and audiences. As reported by Vanity Fair, it made over $427 million in just complete four-day weekend, setting records at the box office. The film received seven Academy Award nods and took home three. It was actually a historic win for the superhero genre.
The soundtrack, Black Panther: The Album, has also been super popular, staying at number one on the Billboard 200 chart for two weeks straight. In the same interview, the Money Trees star talked about making the Black Panther soundtrack, saying:
“Not even talking about the music – just the movie and the cast and the director – I think it’s something that not only stands within its moment, but stands within time. We’re talking about timeless films and things that are going to curate after this film. When we got to the music, I just wanted to make sure that I could complement that and be a part of [it] in the best way I could.”
Lamar’s desire to be part of the Black Panther series shows how much the movie has affected culture. Its success proves that people want superhero movies with characters they can relate to and stories that make them think.
