JAY-Z CONFIRMED TO OVERSEE ‘GREAT GATSBY’ SOUNDTRACK

Jay-Z smiles before the 2013 NBA All-Star game at the Toyota Center on February 17, 2013 in Houston

*The news leaked late last year, but today, Warner Bros. officially confirmed that the soundtrack for its forthcoming update of “The Great Gatsby” will indeed be overseen by Jay-Z.

The rap mogul said he will bring a modern “Jazz Age” energy to the soundtrack for the adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of 1920s America. He also promised the score will feature “the world’s top musical artists.”

The multi-platinum rapper/mogul was introduced to the film’s director Baz Luhrmann by Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays the title role, and this led to a two-year collaboration. “As soon as I spoke with Baz and Leonardo, I knew this was the right project,” Jay-Z said in the statement.
Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of “The Great Gatsby”

“‘The Great Gatsby’ is that classic American story of one’s introduction to extravagance, decadence and illusion. It’s ripe for experimentation and ready to be interpreted with a modern twist. The imagination Baz brought to ‘Moulin Rouge’ made it a masterpiece, and ‘Romeo + Juliet’s’ score wasn’t just in the background; the music became a character. This film’s vision and direction has all the makings of an epic experience,” the statement read.

Jay-Z will executive produce the soundtrack and contribute new songs to the score by composer Craig Armstrong, who worked with Luhrmann on “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet.”

An early trailer for the film featured Jay-Z’s hit, “No Church in the Wild,” his 2011 collaboration with Kanye West that earned him his 17th Grammy in February. [Scroll down to watch.]

The soundtrack of the film, which opens on May 10, will be released on Interscope Records.