British singer Michael Kiwanuka has collaborated with Nas on the song "Rule The World (I Came From The City)" taken from The Get Down soundtrack to create a gritty hip-hop and soul melange that melds the two talents perfectly. Kiwanuka also contributes his single "Black Man in a White World" to the Netflix original series' soundtrack, which gets the addition of Nas as well to serve as their second collaboration. "Rule the World" features Nas as the neighborhood griot as he tells a story through his The Get Down character Mr. Book. "Got my name from the city / Where? The most dangerous city / Let's take a trip back, back into time / 1977, it was maximum crime," he raps. While the offering is only available in a 30-second snippet below, you can hear the full track on Apple Music.
Based on the music alone, we're ready to see The Get Down, which stars Dope's Shameik Moore and Jaden Smith and counts Nas and Grandmaster Flash among its producers. The soundtrack boasts the likes of Miguel, Janelle Monàe, Raury, Christina Aguilera, Nile Rodgers, Leon Bridges and more. The good news is the full series debuts tomorrow on Netflix, so be sure to grab your popcorn and binge watch the story of the birth of hip-hop culture in the Bronx.
Michael's current album Love & Hate is available now on Amazon, iTunes or your retailer of choice, and it looks like Nas is really enjoying the film scene, since he executive produced The Land and appears on its soundtrack. To get you in the mood for the much anticipated Netflix series, listen to Michael and Nas break it down in "Rule the World (I Came from the City)" below.
