It’s no secret that the latest release from Marvel Studios, Black Panther, is a rousing success. It has already made over $500 million at the box office, and it’s been out for less than a week. Telling the story of T’Challa, the king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda as well as the superhero Black Panther, it is a cultural phenomenon that is being well received by fans and critics alike.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar produced and curated the movie’s accompanying soundtrack as well as appearing on the majority of its tracks. Now it seems that creating the music wasn’t enough for King Kendrick. In an interview with Radio BBC 1, Lamar was asked about the possibility of appearing the movie’s sequel in a cameo. “Come on, I got to now,” Lamar said. He also stated that he wants to play a character similar to Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger. “A villain, but loved and misunderstood,” Lamar explained. He would undoubtedly have a monumental task ahead of him, as Jordan’s performance has been highlighted as one of the best parts of the movie.
It would be hard to deny Lamar at least a cameo in the inevitable sequel given how well the soundtrack is doing on the charts–it currently sits at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Speaking about the soundtrack and the movie, Lamar said:
“I think [the movie is] something that not only stands within this moment, but stands within time. These words, these ideas, these albums, they just come from a single thought. This thought can be made in my bedroom, on the toilet, anywhere I’m driving, and then next thing I know, six months later, they can be all around the world and people are sharing the same thought in that same moment. That’s the greatest part.”
It’s clear that Kendrick believes in the potential of the Black Panther franchise and knows its importance in the cultural discussion. Let’s just say that if Kendrick wants in, then we say let him in and have him play a kick-ass villain. Something tells us he’d fit right in in Wakanda.
Listen to the full interview here.
