King's Dead
Song from Black Panther soundtrack and Jay Rock's album Redemption.
"King's Dead" brings together American rappers Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and Future alongside English singer James Blake. The track appears on the soundtrack for the Marvel Studios superhero film *Black Panther* and also on Jay Rock’s third studio album, *Redemption*. The version on *Redemption* omits Blake, features Lamar only on the hook, and differs in several ways from the original. Released on January 11, 2018, through Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records, it served as the second single from the soundtrack and the lead single from *Redemption*. This marked Jay Rock’s first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100. At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, the song won Best Rap Performance (alongside Anderson .Paak’s "Bubblin") and was also nominated for Best Rap Song.
Pitchfork’s Briana Younger praised the track as "fun and swaggering." The music video, directed by Dave Free and Jack Begert, premiered on Rock’s Vevo channel on February 15, 2018. A remix by American rappers Joey Badass and XXXTentacion dropped on March 8, 2018.
Credits from the digital booklet list Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake as vocal performers. Technical work includes record and mix engineering by Matt Schaeffer, master engineering by Mike Bozzi, and record engineering by Eric Manco. Production was handled by Kendrick Lamar and Teddy Walton, with additional production by Sounwave, and uncredited co-production by 30 Roc and Twon Beatz.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future and James Blake
- Album
- Black Panther: The Album and Redemption
- Released
- 2018-01-11
- Recorded
- 2017
- Genre
- Alternative hip-hop · trap
- Label
- TDE · Aftermath · Interscope
- Writer
- Kendrick Duckworth · Michael Williams · Travis Walton · Mark Spears · Johnny McKinzie · Nayvadius Wilburn · James Litherland · Samuel Gloade · Anthony Tiffith · Antwon Hicks · Axel Morgan
- Producer
- Mike Will Made It · Teddy Walton · Sounwave · 30 Roca · [a] · Twon Beatza · [a] · Axlfolie
- Chronology
- Jay Rock
- Prev Title
- 90059
- Prev Year
- 2015
- Next Title
- Win
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The song features vocals from Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake. The version on Jay Rock's album Redemption did not feature James Blake, only contained Lamar for the hook, and contains multiple differences from the original. The music video was released to Rock's Vevo channel on YouTube on February 15, 2018, directed by Dave Free and Jack Begert. A remix by American rappers Joey Badass and XXXTentacion was released on March 8, 2018.
Reader's Guide
"King's Dead" holds significance as Jay Rock's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, marking a commercial breakthrough. It won Best Rap Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards alongside "Bubblin" by Anderson .Paak, and was also nominated for Best Rap Song. The song's inclusion on the Black Panther soundtrack tied it to a major Marvel Studios film, broadening its cultural reach. The track's multiple versions—the original with James Blake and the Redemption album version without him—highlight creative differences in its release. The music video, directed by Dave Free and Jack Begert, and the subsequent remix by Joey Badass and XXXTentacion further extended its influence. Briana Younger of Pitchfork gave the song a positive review, calling it "fun and swaggering."
Did You Know?
- The version on Redemption did not feature James Blake and contained multiple differences from the original.
- The music video was directed by Dave Free and Jack Begert.
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