Left: Buju Banton, photo by Scott Eells/Getty Images. Center: Lil Wayne, photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for ESSENCE. Right: Shabba Ranks, photo by Jonathan Mannion/The FADER.
The first glimpse of the soundtrack to director Jeymes Samuel’s second feature film, The Book of Clarence, has arrived. Written and produced by Samuel himself (under his own name, rather than his musical alterego The Bullits), “Hallelujah Heaven” features a verse each from Lil Wayne, Buju Banton, and Shabba Ranks. The beat, a forward-marching gospel-funk groove, gives the track a sense of military precision, allotting just enough space for each artist to give a succinct, resounding testimonial.
Scheduled to arrive in theaters on January 12, The Book of Clarence stars LaKeith Stanfield as its titular false messiah, alongside Teyana Taylor, RJ Sly, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Like Samuel’s first feature, The Harder They Fall, it counts Jay-Z as a producer, and its soundtrack will feature new music from the rap mogul — as well as Kid Cudi, Adekunle Gold, Yemi Alade, Jorja Smith, Jorge Ben Jor, and more, per Rolling Stone.
Listen to “Hallelujah Heaven” below.
