JAMMIN AT THE GYM

Raheel Ramzanali: Ranking the workout songs from the Black Panther soundtrack

Raheel Ramzanali: Ranking the workout songs from the Black Panther soundtrack
The Black Panther soundtrack has great workout songs. Youtube.com

This week Marvel’s highly anticipated Black Panther will finally come out after years of anticipation and early last week the soundtrack for the movie was released. While most soundtracks feature mostly instrumentals, Black Panther’s soundtrack was produced by Grammy winning artist Kendrick Lamar so it sounds and plays like a traditional hip hop album. While I love a good Hans Zimmer track in my workout playlist (shout out to Time on the Inception album!),  you normally can’t finish off the last five minutes of cardio to most movie soundtracks. The Black Panther soundtrack is different. This soundtrack is tailor made for your workout playlist so I want to rank the most “workoutable” songs on this album from 1-13.

  1. Pray For Me by The Weeknd - Unlike most writers, I’m starting with the best stuff and giving you the most workoutable song. This song was destined to be your go to song for that PR set or the jam to get you started on cardio day. I’m not the biggest fan of the Weeknd, but he does the damn thing on this song. Get ready to squat until you can’t when the chorus hits. Getting tired? You just need Kendrick’s, “You need a hero, look in the mirror, there go your hero.” I’ve listened to this song at least 38 times since the soundtrack released. You won’t be disappointed.

  2. Redemption by Zacari - This is a huge upset because All The Stars is a GREAT workout song and I’ve had it on my playlist for a month now, but after listening to the soundtrack multiple times, this song here goes so hard. I had it on while playing basketball and pretty much the game stopped so we could all get in a booty pop. The beat is great and will provide you with that much needed boost during your sessions.

  3. All The Stars  by Kendrick Lamar - When I first heard this song last month I couldn’t believe I liked it since I’m not the biggest Lamar fan, but even he couldn’t make me hate this song. This is such a built for Top 40 radio station song with the themes of love, use of Sza, and leftover Rihanna beat, but it works so damn well. This is also the first song by Sza that didn’t make me question everything I know about relationships and love. My one pet peeve with this song? The way Sza pronounces “closer” - y'all sure she isn’t saying kosher?! Best time to play this song? Right when you start your workout.

  4. King’s Dead by Kendrick Lamar - MISS ME WITH THAT BULLSH*T! If you were looking for a “traditional” sounding K.Dot song then this is the one. The beat brings it and the features by Jay Rock and Future really bring that extra eyyyyyyy we’re looking for in a workout song.  Just when you think this song is done - oh snap, James Blake on it! Everything changes from here and Kendrick Lamar takes us home.

  5. X by ScHoolboy Q - I’ll admit it, I don’t even know who or what a ScHoolboy Q is, but I’m into it now. We’re now entering the part of this list where you could shuffle 5-8 and they’ll be about the same in the workoutable measurement. At this point it’s just really good background music that will keep you going during your workout. I’m putting this song at 5 out of respect to 2 Chainz and his feature.

  6. Big Shot by Kendrick Lamar - Please, please, please don’t kill me for putting this at six since Houston’s own Travis Scott is on this track. I really like this song, but to me it falls into the category where the songs really don’t pop, but still are good workout songs. Bonus to Scott for always mentioning Houston on major projects.

  7. Opps by Vince Staples - I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I can already tell you this song’s instrumental will be used in the most dope fight scene we’ve ever seen in the Marvel Universe. This song will bring it so hard in the movie, but as for a workout song? It’s just another song. I have a feeling most will not agree on this ranking.

  8. Black Panther by Kendrick Lamar - If you LOVE Kendrick Lamar’s lyrical mastery then this song is for you, but it really doesn’t have that IT factor for a workout song so it comes in at eight.

  9. Paramedic!  by SOB x RBE - Good beat, catchy chorus, and features from a bunch of guys, but man this song just doesn’t work for me. You might like it, but this one won’t be making my workout playlist.  

  10. Bloody Waters by Ab-Soul - See above. (Sidenote, this song is a setup for King’s Dead so it does flow nicely if you put em back to back like they are on the soundtrack.)

  11. The Ways by Khalid - We’ve now hit the portion of the list where the tracks are really good for a cool down or warm-up. Need to bring that heart rate down some? Put on this love ballad and just let Khalid and Swae Lee bring a smile to your face as you check out your gym crush that can bench more than you.

  12. I Am by Jorja Smith - I can’t get Jorja’s voice out of my head. It’s haunting. It’s beautiful. Damn, this is such a good song to have on while you’re setting the mood with that special someone, but I just can’t see myself using this in the gym. Maybe for couples yoga or sitting in the sauna just so I can make it awkward for others in there with me.

  13. Seasons by Mozzy - This song doesn’t have workout beat you need, but damn Reason brings it in this song.

 

So there you go, enjoy this soundtrack and movie! Let me know what you think by tweeting me @The_Raheel.

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Houston must improve in close games down the stretch and into October. Composite Getty Image.

While holding one’s breath that for a change the Astros aren’t publicly grossly underestimating an injury’s severity with Jose Altuve having missed the last game and a half with “right side discomfort…”

The Astros averting a sweep vs. Oakland Thursday was in no way a must-win, but getting the win allowed a mini sigh of relief. The Astros are NOT in the process of choking. Could they collapse? Sure that’s possible. Also possible is that they’ve just been in one more ebb phase in a season of ebb and flow. They certainly have left the door ajar for the Seattle Mariners to swipe the American League West, but with the M's simply not looking good enough to walk through that door the Astros remain in commanding position. The Astros made a spectacular charge from 10 games behind to grab the division lead. But there was a lot of runway left when the Astros awoke June 19th 10 games in arrears. September 3 the Astros arose with a comfy six game lead over the M’s. With Seattle blowing a 4-1 eighth inning lead in a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers Thursday night, heading into Friday night the Astros' advantage is back up to four and a half games despite the Astros having lost six of their last nine games and having gone just 10-12 over their last 22 games. Not a good stretch but nothing freefalling about it.

While the Mariners have the remainder of their four-game series vs. the dead in the water Rangers this weekend, the Astros play three at the lousy Los Angeles Angels. The Astros should take advantage of the Halos, with whom they also have a four-game series at Minute Maid Park next weekend. Since the All-Star break, only the White Sox have a worse record than the Angels 19-31 mark (the White Sox are 6-43 post-break!). Two of the three starting pitchers the Angels will throw this weekend will be making their third big league starts. To begin next week the Astros are in San Diego for a three-game-set against a Padres club which is flat better than the Astros right now. That does not mean the Astros can’t take that series. The Mariners meanwhile will be still at home, for three vs. the Yankees.

There are some brutal Astros’ statistics that largely explain why this is merely a pretty good team and not more. As I have noted before, it is a fallacy that the best teams are usually superior in close games. But the Astros have been pathetic in close games. There used to be a joke made about Sammy Sosa that he could blow you out, but he couldn’t beat you. Meaning being that when the score was 6-1, 8-3 or the like Sammy would pad his stats with home runs and runs batted in galore. But in a tight game, don’t count on Sammy to come through very often. In one-run games the Astros are 15-26, in two-run games they are 10-14. In games that were tied after seven innings they are 3-12. In extra innings they are 5-10. The good news is, all those realities mean nothing when the postseason starts. So long as you’re in the postseason. In games decided by three or more runs the Astros have pummeled the opposition to the tune of 53 wins and 28 losses.

General Manager Dana Brown isn’t an Executive of the Year candidate, but overall he’s been fine this season. Without the Yusei Kikuchi trade deadline acquisition the Astros would likely barely lead the AL West. Brown’s biggest offseason get, Victor Caratini, has done very solid work in his part-time role. Though he has tapered off notably the last month and change, relief pitcher Tayler Scott was a fabulous signing. Scrap heap pickups Ben Gamel, Jason Heyward, and Kaleb Ort have all made contributions. However…

Dana. Dana! You made yourself look very silly with comments this week somewhat scoffing at people being concerned with or dismissive of Justin Verlander’s ability to be a meaningful playoff contributor. Brown re-sang a ridiculous past tune, the “check the back of his baseball card” baloney. Dana, did you mean like the back of Jose Abreu’s baseball card? Perhaps Brown has never seen those brokerage ads in which at the end in fine print and/or in rapidly spoken words “past performance is no guarantee of future results” always must be included. Past (overall career) performance as indicative of future results for a 41-year-old pitcher who has frequently looked terrible and has twice missed chunks of this season to two different injuries is absurd. That Verlander could find it in time is plausible. That of course he’ll find it? Absolutely not. His next two starts are slotted to be against the feeble Angels, so even if the results are better, it won’t mean “JV IS BACK!”

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*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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