METRO BOOMIN - ‘ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE’

Writer’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Note: this review is purely about the soundtrack to Spiderverse and not the film itself, and being written before the writer has seen the film.

High-profile artists taking on movie soundtracks isn’t a new thing, especially for Marvel films. The ‘Black Panther’ films have both had solid soundtracks highlighting some of the finest African artists while the first ‘Spiderverse’ film had a surprisingly collection of tracks to go alongside - spawning ‘Sunflower’ one of the biggest hits of all time.

Metro Boomin was tasked with the soundtrack to the latest installment in the franchise, bringing in a mix of triple-A stars and smaller artists for a well thought out collection. ‘Annihilate’ opens the album with an intoxicating hook from Swae Lee and serviceable, if slightly plain, verses from Offset and Lil Wayne. It’s great to see Metro utilize lesser known artists, Roisee is featured on ‘Am I Dreaming’ with ASAP Rocky, and while having less than 1000 monthly listeners before, doesn’t sound out of place with the talent on display. As expected from Metro the production here is excellent, with luscious strings and punchy drums.

From here, Metro does what he does best, creating catchy trap production for some of the biggest names in the game, Lil Uzi Vert and Future on ‘All The Way Live’ and JID and a returning Offset on ‘Danger (Spider)’. British singer-songwriter-producer extraordinaire James Blake features on the gorgeous ‘Hummingbird’. It’s not the first time the two have linked up and James’ airy vocals are complimented by the psychedelic production.

‘Calling’ is a less hard-hitting cut than those that have come before, instead Swae Lee, NAV and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie croon about love, it’s a track that feels like it could fit on any other trap album but it’s catchy enough. It would be okay if it wasn’t for the string outro elevating the track.

EI8HT is another unknown artist, with ‘Silk & Cologne’ being their only credited performance on Spotify. Alongside Offset they create a danceable afrobeat infused track that’s sure to be a summer favorite. The back end of the album features some returning stars in the form of Lil Uzi Vert, ASAP Rocky and James Blake working alongside some newcomers such as Don Toliver, 21 Savage and 2 Chainz to create some more solid trap bangers to compliment the film.

The final track here is a rare linkup between Metro Boomin and Nas, their history goes along way back, with Metro wanting to work with Nas from his earliest start as a producer - creating a traditional boom-bap beat for the legend Nas to slide over easily; even if his verse here is short - the back end of the track focusing on Metro’s production as the album comes to a close.

The soundtrack for ‘Across The Spiderverse’ is a solid collection of trap songs, afrobeat bops and psychedelic production with a star studded cast of artists to go along with it. It’s not going to be anyones album of the year but it’s not a bad listen.