Space Jam: A New Legacy Soundtrack Drops

Space Jam: A New Legacy comes out in theatres on July 16th, and not only does the movie have a lot of hype to live up to as a follow up to the Michael Jordan-led 1996 film, but the soundtrack also has a tough act to follow.

The original film was a financial success, grossing $250M on a $80M budget (and becoming the 10th highest grossing film of 1996), but received mixed reviews from critics. The soundtrack was a different story though as it was critically acclaimed on top of selling extremely well - it hit #2 on the Billboard 200, getting certified 6x Platinum in 2001. Six songs were released as singles, including Seal's version of Fly Like an Eagle, R. Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly as well as the one of the all-time best basketball-inspired tracks in Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem) by the All-Star roster of B-Real, Coolio, Method Man, LL Cool J & Busta Rhymes. R. Kelly earned two Grammy awards for his song, as I Believe I Can Fly became the most successful track of his career. Of course, we can't forget a couple of other bangers on the record. Basketball Jones, hilariously written by Cheech & Chong back in the 1970's, was covered by Barry White & Chris Rock. Jay-Z and R. Kelly collaborated on writing All of My Days, which didn't appear in the movie, but buoyed the back-end of the album.

So can the new sound track live up to the hype?

Come on and slam, welcome to the Space Jam 2 soundtrackhttps://t.co/1C8SLosNqS
— Vulture (@vulture) July 9, 2021

The record certainly has lined up it's own All-Star cast of performers: Chance The Rapper, John Legend, Dame D.O.L.L.A., Lil Wayne, Jonas Brothers, Leon Bridges and more. Only time will tell how the movie and soundtrack measure up to the originals.

The soundtrack for Space Jam: A New Legacy is a slam dunk 🏀 https://t.co/JWfNoBhbzD pic.twitter.com/R17sQJgAde
— Spotify USA (@SpotifyUSA) July 9, 2021