FEATURING AN ORIGINAL SONG BY THE ROOTS
FILM OPENS IN THEATERS AUGUST 4, 2017
Motown Records announces the DETROIT Official Soundtrack music from and inspired by DETROIT coming this July, 2017. The record features original architects of the immortal ‘Motown Sound’ as well as a new song from GRAMMY® Award-winning multi-platinum hip-hop icons The Roots entitled “It Ain’t Fair (feat. Bilal).”
“‘It Ain’t Fair’ was designed to emphasize the importance of social justice through the prism of late-sixties Detroit, which means many things culturally and politically, and also certain things musically,’ says The Roots drummer and producer Questlove.
From Kathryn Bigelow, two-time Academy Award®– winning director of THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, and Annapurna Pictures, DETROIT captures one of the most terrifying events during the riots that took place over five tumultuous summer days in 1967.
“It’s been fifty years since the events of this film, but the powerful images I saw on the screen reminded me that we’re still going through the same things now,” says Questlove. “That knowledge produces anger, but not despair: music has the power to express both anguish and hope.”
The DETROIT Soundtrack Album captures light amidst one of America’s darkest times by illuminating the power at the heart of the Motown, Detroit, and late sixties cultures all at once. It’s the sound of change in the face of oppression and a moment of revolution brought to life in song and on screen.
“We’re honored and excited to work on such an important and special project as DETROIT,” says Motown Records president Ethiopia Habtemariam. “The music from this soundtrack highlights the ‘Classic Motown Sound’ which is a beautiful accompaniment to the story of tumultuous times in 1967 as well as the struggles we face within society today.”
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR DETROIT HERE
WATCH QUESTLOVE DISCUSS THE ROOTS’ SONG HERE
ABOUT MOTOWN
As a distinct label within Capitol Music Group (CMG), Motown is one the most recognizable and influential brands in popular music. The “Motown Sound” became “the sound of young America” with the emergence of its great artists and music in the 1960s that led to massive global success. The label has played a pivotal role in forever changing popular music, as well as having a significant impact on the fabric of political and popular culture. The Motown legacy continues to this day and is now home to such incomparable artists as Ne-Yo, Erykah Badu, Kem, BJ The Chicago Kid, Lil Yachty, Jada Grace and many others.
CAST for DETROIT:
The film features a powerful cast including John Boyega, Chris Chalk, Nathan Davis Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Austin Hébert, Joseph David-Jones, Malcolm David Kelley, John Krasinski, Jacob Latimore, Anthony Mackie, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Ben O’Toole, Will Poulter, Jack Reynor, Algee Smith, Peyton Alex Smith, Jeremy Strong, Ephraim Sykes and Leon Thomas III.
ABOUT ANNAPURNA
Annapurna, founded by Megan Ellison, focuses on creating sophisticated, high-quality content that is critically and commercially conscious while still appealing to a diverse audience. By upholding Ellison’s vision to put filmmakers and artists first and preserve their authentic creative voices no matter the genre or medium, in 5 years, the company has garnered a total of 32 Academy Award nominations for their projects, including ZERO DARK THIRTY, JOY, THE MASTER, FOXCATCHER, and THE GRANDMASTER. Ellison is also one of only four honorees ever to receive two Best Picture nominations in the same year, with HER and AMERICAN HUSTLE, both earning nods in 2014. Currently, Annapurna is in post-production on Kathryn Bigelow’s DETROIT, which it will release as its first distribution title on August 4, 2017. The company is also in production on Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled new period film starring Daniel Day-Lewis and is developing the film adaptation of Maria Semple’s WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE, to be directed by Richard Linklater. Annapurna’s most recent projects include Mike Mills’ 20TH CENTURY WOMEN, which was nominated for two Golden Globes and earned Mills a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award nomination, as well as SAUSAGE PARTY, WIENER-DOG, and EVERYBODY WANTS SOME, with THE BAD BATCH set for release by Neon in 2017. Bigelow also directed and partnered with Annapurna on the animated short LAST DAYS, about illegal elephant poaching and the ivory trade.
