“The Harder They Fall”, The Netflix Original Movie Just Released By The Streaming Giant, is an attempt to correct the historical memory of the Old West by telling the hidden story about the black cowboys of the time and in whose soundtrack dancehall reggae artists like Koffee and Barrington Levy participate.
According to scholar Katie Nodjimbadem, almost one in four cowboys was black despite the predominantly white portrayal of cowboys in western cinema. The Harder They Fall is noted for its choice of star black actors like Idris Elba, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, among others, and a unique version of the western soundtrack.
The original soundtrack features a pan-African cast including the young Grammy winner for Best Reggae Album, Koffee, with the main track of the film; a remix of “Better Than Gold” from reggae legend Barrington Levy, “Black Woman” by Malian singer and guitarist Fatoumata Diawara in collaboration with Lauryn Hill, so too the South African singer Pretty Yende, the native of Cape Verde, Mayra andrade, and Brazilian Nigerian soul vocalist Seal. The classic “Let’s Start” by Fela Kuti also appears in the official trailer for the film.
While Quentin Tarrantino provided the first urban soundtrack to the western screen in his film "Django", the western genre has been dominated by a list of European composers, among them Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone with themes such as “The Ecstasy of Gold” de “The Good, The Bad y The Ugly”. With The Harder They Fall a new perspective is presented and, with her, a new score to reimagine the heady stories of the old west.
Listen to the full soundtrack here.
Source: Pan African Music
