Jay-Z is reportedly set to help write the score to Baz Luhrmann's big screen remake of The Great Gatsby. The rapper is apparently working with the Bullitts' Jeymes Samuel on music for the film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Isla Fisher.
The news was revealed over Samuel's Twitter account: "Jay-Z and myself have been working tirelessly on the score for the upcoming #CLASSIC The Great Gatsby!" he wrote. "It is too DOPE for words!" Neither the filmmakers nor the rapper have confirmed the announcement.
Jay-Z and myself have been working tirelessly on the score for the upcoming #CLASSIC The Great Gatsby! It is too DOPE for words!
— THE BULLITTS (@TheBullitts) December 30, 2012
Samuel, who is the younger brother of Seal, has built a musical reputation on the back of just a few singles: Supercool, Landspeeder, and Close Your Eyes. This last song features actress Lucy Liu and the rapper Jay Electronica, who is signed to Jay-Z's management company. Samuel has also written and directed They Die By Dawn, a forthcoming western starring Idris Elba.
As for Jay-Z, Luhrmann is a long-time fan and the Australian director used one of the rapper's songs for The Great Gatsby's first trailer. Luhrmann also seems to have gone fully H.A.M.on the set of the film: "On my first day he had Jay-Z pumped up full, and we did the entire scene with ... Jay-Z in our ear on full blast while acting," Fisher told MTV News. "It was just so liberating."
The Great Gatsby will be released on 17 May.