Novelty songs for films always tend to be some of the hidden gems in an artist’s catalog. Muse, Adele and Radiohead have all proven their worth on a slew of bold singles written to accompany the world of the big screen and now hip-hop royalty Erykah Badu and Nas are dipping their toes into the cinematic waters with their new single This Bitter Land, set to feature in the film The Land.
The film itself is an independent production directed by Steven Caple Jr. with Nas serving as executive producer. Having premiered at the Sundance Music Festival earlier this year, the film is a coming-of-age story that follows a group of teenagers who become involved in a drug trading community. You can watch the trailer below:
The song itself opens with a whisper of mournful strings and is accompanied by Badu’s low and soulful vocals, immediately creating a sense of unease and perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the trailer. The entrance of Nas then sees the song begin to slowly progress, with the rapper dropping his verses over the same string combo while Badu provides her haunting backing vocals.
From there the song slowly ascends to its dynamic peak, allowing Badu to show off her incredible vocal control and power, before it abruptly falls away into the abyss. Listen to the song below.
The film is also set to feature new music from the likes of Ezzy, Machine Gun Kelly and a collection of other prominent names from the urban music community.
Image: Mass Appeal