Def Jam Recordings, the iconic label and global brand synonymous with hip-hop culture, partners with 20th Century Fox on Oct. 12th release of the Official Soundtrack to the highly-anticipated film The Hate U Give.
Def Jam Recordings’ next generation of stars, Arlissa and Bobby Sessions, join an all-star cast cast of contemporary and legendary artists including Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, Logic, Jadakiss, and Tupac Shakur for the official soundtrack of The Hate U Give.
Arlissa and Bobby Sessions introduce new, previously unreleased songs on the soundtrack, which Variety raves, “cleverly mimics the film’s outlook by oscillating between snatches of 2Pac and modern R&B;” South London-bred, 25 year old siren Arlissa, who appeared in the August issue of Vogue, experienced her first real taste of success with her breakthrough track “Hearts Ain’t Gonna Lie.”
Arlissa’s defiant anthem “We Won’t Move” from The Hate U Give soundtrack garnered early buzz at the Toronto Film Festival premiere of T.H.U.G., with Toronto’s NOW exclaiming “the soulful ballad has got ‘Oscar nominee’ written all over it.”
Listen to it here!
“It’s been a true honor to be involved in something so significant and relevant to today’s social climate…I was one of the millions of people who were deeply touched by the book, so to be able to contribute to the movie, which shines such a strong light on inequality, has been a responsibility I’ve taken with such pride and care. This is not just a film, this is education,” says Arlissa.
Fiery Dallas rapper Bobby Sessions, who NPR raves, “confronts racism with a captivating flow that’s both acrimonious and awe-inspiring,” and whose debut EP “channels the anger and despair that accompany the cycle is systematic racism” according to XXL, performs the eponymous title tune, “The Hate U Give.”
Shaping up as one of the fall season’s breakout movies, The Hate U Give stars Amandla Stenberg as Starr, a teen who is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right. Amandla’s original song “Always” closes out the soundtrack.
The Hate U Give also stars Russell Hornsby, Regina Hall, Issa Rae, KJ Apa, Algee Smith and Sabrina Carpenter, with Common, and Anthony Mackie. The film was directed by George Tillman Jr. (Notorious, Men Of Honor), and produced by Robert Teitel, George Tillman Jr., Marty Bowen, and Wyck Godfrey. The Hate U Give, whose screenplay was written by Audrey Wells (A Dog’s Purpose, Under The Tuscan Sun), is a Fox 2000 Pictures, State Street Pictures, and Temple Hill Entertainment production, distributed by 20th Century Fox.
