The twists and turns of Godfather of Harlem are just as surprising to executive music producer Swizz Beatz as they are to fans. He tells ABC Audio he watches the full episodes only after they air on MGM+.
“I don’t want to spoil it. I want to be a fan also,” he says, explaining he put together the soundtrack watching only the 30 second clips where his music in the episodes would be placed. “I can see the whole show, but I’m like, no, just leave it there. Because imagine I would have seen the show so long ago, I wouldn’t even be in the mood.”
Swizz joined the Godfather of Harlem team years ago after receiving a personal phone call from Pharrell and Forest Whitaker about producing the soundtrack for the show.
He says he initially created the soundtrack using original songs “that people haven’t heard,” including the theme song “Just in Case.”
But by season 2, Swizz changed his approach to “make the music representing the thoughts and feelings of characters on the show.”
Artists on the soundtrack are paired with certain characters, hence the reason some artists appear on several songs. ScarLip represents Bumpy Johnson‘s daughter Elise and the Black Panthers, while Jadakiss and Pusha T express the thoughts of crime boss Joe Colombo.
“Once I said the music is the voice of the actors, then it was easy for me,” Swizz said.
Seasons 1-4 are of Godfather of Harlem are on MGM+. Swizz’s soundtracks are on streaming platforms.
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