Days before the soundtrack compilation is released, executive producer Jay-Z drops his own contribution to the album.
- May 3, 2013
AceShowbiz - After almost releasing every other single on the album, Jay-Z finally debuts his own contribution to the star-studded "The Great Gatsby" soundtrack entitled "100$ Bill". The 43-year-old rap mogul's track serves as a fitting climax to the weeks leading up to the studio effort's big release on May 7.
The three-and-a-half-minute song opens with the very recognizable voice of the movie's lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio, his lines from the period film generously sprinkled in between Jay-Z's verses. The jazz flutes give the tune its roaring twenties vibe while at the same time the heavy percussion beat that carries Hov's rhymes give it its modern flair.
The Roc Nation boss does what he does best on this track, effortlessly spewing out his rhymes in quick succession but still clear enough for listeners to hear him rap about the "decade of decadence, ill reverence." He name-drops everyone from music's Marvin Gaye to Taylor Swift, Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, Jack Gleason, Colin Powell, even Kennedy and Einstein.
"It's not the typical soundtrack, or a standalone piece. The songs are pretty much in the film, so it goes hand in hand with each other. It had to fit pretty snug, it wasn't an afterthought," Jay-Z proudly describes his new masterpiece. He wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of his A-list group of collaborators topped by wife Beyonce Knowles and her "Back to Black" partner Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000), the Black Eyed Peas duo of will.i.am and Fergie a.k.a. Stacy Ferguson, Lana del Rey, Jack Black, Florence and the Machine.
Jay-Z's "100$ Bill" full audio:
