'Black Panther' Score Will Join Kendrick Lamar-Curated Album in Top Half of Billboard 200 Next Week

Further, the Black Panther score -- composed by three-time Grammy Award nominee Ludwig Göransson and released Feb. 16 via Marvel/Hollywood Records -- may also launch at No. 1 on the World Albums chart. The tally lists the top selling world music albums of the week – generally defined as the native music of foreign countries. The chart often includes titles featuring Hawaiian, Cuban, Celtic, African, South American and Korean music. On the most recent chart (dated Feb. 24), K-pop group BTS rules at No. 1 with Love Yourself: Her, while the Irish act Celtic Woman is No. 2 with its recent album Homecoming: Live From Ireland.

For the Black Panther score album, Göransson worked with African percussionists, a 40-person choir and a 132-piece western classical orchestra. In a press release, Göransson says “the only way I could properly score Black Panther was to travel to Africa to record, research and learn from as many musicians I could find. I was introduced to Senegal’s most incredible musicians and storytellers, and from there it all started to come together. One of the instruments that especially caught my attention was the talking drum, which together with West African sabar drums and ceremonial rhythms, became the foundation for the score.”