I, along with many others, eagerly awaited the release of Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby'. One of my favourite books adapted by a director that has proven he can film a visually rich and sumptuous movie, which looks set to be one of the highlights of the Hollywood calendar. One aspect of the production that has proved to be slightly more questionable is the soundtrack. With Jay Z as executive producer, it was never going to be a straightforward reproduction of popular 1920s standards (for that, see the Boardwalk Empire soundtrack which is absolutely superb). Rather than incorporating jazz-age music, considered daringly modern at the time of the novel's release, it has been replaced with the contemporary equivalent; that is replacing jazz with hip hop.
The opener, '100$ Bill' from Jay-Z, (who was also executive producer on the film) sets the somewhat anachronistic tone for the rest of the album. The track does sample dialogue from the film, but not in any meaningful way...
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