Listen to the Gang Starr Tracks From Marvel's 'Luke Cage'
Showrunner Cheo Coker reveals three classic songs that directly inspired the new Netflix series.
With Marvel batting two for two on Netflix after Daredevil and Jessica Jones, September 30 will be the debut of Luke Cage starring Mike Colter as Marvel’s homage to blaxploitation movies of the ‘70s. Producer and writer Cheo Coker overlooks the series as showrunner, who called it the “Wu-Tangification of the Marvel Universe” at San Diego Comic-Con last week. But maybe the “Gang Starr-ing of Marvel” is more apropos, as Coker tweeted titles to the show’s first three episodes that have all been named after songs from the influential Brooklyn hip-hop duo Gang Starr.
Founded in Boston but eventually calling Brooklyn home, Gang Starr was the tag-team of rappers MC Guru (Keith Elam) and DJ 1, 2 B-Down (Mike Dee) before Dee left and replaced by Houston emcee DJ Premier. Together they released Gang Starr’s first album, 1989’s No More Mr. Nice Guy which peaked at #19 on the Billboard charts. By 1990, they signed on with the London label Chrysalis, and with total creative freedom Gang Starr went on to become one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all time.
Guru passed away in 2010, but their legacy remains clear with albums like Step in the Arena, Daily Operation, and Moment of Truth still celebrated by rap fans and critics alike. And obviously, Luke Cage’s Cheo Coker is one of them. Promising to tweet out more reveals every Friday until Sept. 30th, Coker revealed the first three episode titles: “Moment of Truth,” “Code of the Streets,” and “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?”
Before you binge on Luke Cage on September 30, peep the classic Gang Starr melodies that inspired what is sure to be Marvel’s next big smash.
“Moment of Truth”
“Code of the Streets”
“Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?”
Marvel’s Luke Cage premieres September 30 on Netflix.
