• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Newsletter
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Contest
Advertisement
  • Reviews
  • Album Reviews

Album Review: Creed OST

C+

Artists

Formats

  • digital
  • cd
Advertisement
Nina Corcoran
November 30, 2015 | 12:00am ET

    Everyone, whether they’ve seen the movie or not, knows the Rocky theme. Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now” manages to challenge Sylvester Stallone’s performance as Rocky Balboa for the title of the most iconic element of Rocky, both still relevant nearly 40 years after the film’s release. In under 10 seconds, the staccato horn fanfare builds empowerment for anyone that wants to use it. For that exact reason, it’s helpful both with and without the film’s context, giving athletes and the like motivation to push through whatever struggles line up in their way.

    In this year’s Creed — the emotional seventh Rocky film that sees Rocky Balboa (Stallone) train Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), son of his old opponent Apollo Creed — the original Rocky theme is sliced up and left sputtering in the background of Future’s “Last Breath”. For containing such ripe fodder, his remake settles a bit without the film as context. “Last Breath” does reshape the sample into a new, self-assured backbeat, but, given it’s Future’s first release since DS2 and What a Time to Be Alive, it suggests he propped his feet up in the aftermath of chart-topping success. There’s a chorus too generic to feel personal (“I got angels all around me/ I got love all around me/ I’ll be a fighter ’til the end, til my last breath/ I’ma hustle ’til my last breath”) and monetary achievements as yardsticks (Moët & Chandon, safe-locked jewelry, a Rolls-Royce Wraith) instead of, you know, familial revenge, steadfast passion, or the evolution of identity through sporting competition — all of which are justified in their own clichés, especially when delivered so genuinely in the film itself.

    Then there’s “Waiting For My Moment”, the collaboration between Donald Glover, Jhené Aiko, Vince Staples, and the film’s composer, Ludwig Göransson. An orchestra wastes no time with the dramatics, punching up string sections and trombones clearly written to accent certain actions in a scene alongside Glover’s croon, but, without the film in front of us, it all feels a bit forced. The real highlight is Vince Staples’ verse on survival amidst poverty and police brutality, but when squished into a 30-second rally cry, it’s washed away.

    Advertisement
    Related Video

    That said, Creed’s soundtrack is by no means a waste. Tessa Thompson — who plays Bianca, a singer-songwriter Adonis falls in love with — holds three standout songs to her name here: “Breathe”, “Grip”, and “Shed You”. By acting within the film, Thompson creates a distinct relationship with her songs, treading some unexplored middle ground between SBTRKT and FKA twigs with clear weight. Her brooding additions boast dark, looming, downtempo electronic production reminiscent of Nigel Godrich, and by the time Moses Sumney joins her on “Shed You”, their joint vocal allure transforms into the sonic embodiment of lust. Should she choose to pursue it, Thompson has a future in music.

    While there’s no arguing that the soundtrack’s best cuts are well-placed songs from years past — stretching as far back as the ‘70s in the case of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ “Wake Up Everybody” or nabbing Nas’ 2004 number “Bridging the Gap” — recent additions like Meek Mill’s “Lord Knows” and remix favorite “Don’t Waste My Time” by Krept and Konan keep the hustle high without dropping boxing specifics. That, it turns out, is the key. If you don’t box but you’re writing a song to motivate someone who does, there’s a different type of fire beneath your feet. Your own drive comes though. When songs like “The Fire” by The Roots come on, an entirely familiar motivation bubbles up from within, lending itself towards a wide range of situations; the only songs on Creed’s soundtrack to get your arms swinging with revenge are those that allow that space to fit things into your own context. In comparison, Future’s big single misses the mark because it gets into specifics, using monetary prizes to fuel boxing stamina.

    Sports dramas track rises and falls worth knowing. Their soundtracks serve as motivation to make our own. Creed stuffs a sampling of top hip-hop tracks into one bundle that get that very job done, but the songs written exclusively for the film (with the exception of Thompson’s) are the ones that feel the least inspired — and there was plenty to be inspired by. In the film, Göransson’s score stirs a dark underbelly with warm tones, harnessing strings in a way that should inspire future sports films to do the same, not unlike his work on 2013’s Fruitvale Station. But soundtrack albums are for those seeking to relive the film’s emotions. Maybe that highlights the film’s achievements even moreso: Creed is such a knockout of a film that it doesn’t need a stacked original soundtrack to raise it up — though that certainly wouldn’t have hurt.

    Advertisement

    Essential Tracks: “Shed You”, “Lord Knows”

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
Advertisement

Artists

  • Eearz
  • Future
  • Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
  • Joey Bada$$
  • John Legend
  • Krept & Konan
  • Ludwig Göransson
  • Meek Mill
  • Nas
  • The Roots
  • Tupac Shakur
  • Vince Staples
  • White Dave

More on this topic

  • Creed
  • Donald Glover
  • Film Soundtrack
  • Hip-Hop
  • Michael B. Jordan
  • Rap
  • Rocky
  • Soul
  • Sylvester Stallone
  • Tessa Thompson

Sign up for updates

Subscribe to our email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

Advertisement

Popular Stories

Bruce Springsteen kicks off 2023 tour

Music

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Kick Off First Tour in Six Years: Video + Setlist

Tool 2023 tour tease

Heavy Consequence

Danny Carey: Tool Have a "Big Tour Coming in the Fall"

Advertisement

Stay Chill with Koast's Full Spectrum CBD + Delta-8 Gummies

Stay Chill with Koast's Full Spectrum CBD + Delta-8 Gummies

steve-o bam margera choose recovery you're dying plead

Film

"You're Dying, Brother": Steve-O Pleads with Bam Margera to "Choose Recovery"

frasier boston revival reboot sequel series

TV

Frasier Revival Set in Boston Where Everybody Used to Know His Name

Latest Stories

shania twain album review

With Queen of Me, Shania Twain Continues Her Reign as the Ruler of Country-Pop

February 2, 2023

samia honey album review

Samia Is Bracingly Shameless on Honey

January 26, 2023

billy joel the stranger album review classic opus

Billy Joel's The Stranger Made an Icon Out Of the Piano Man: Classic Album Review

December 16, 2022

herbert album review

Herbert, Ab-Soul's First Album in 6 Years, Finds Him Confident, Comfortable and at His Best

December 16, 2022

sza sos new album stream

On SOS, SZA Once Again Blows Expectations Out of the Water

December 9, 2022

rm indigo review

With Indigo, RM Makes Fleeting Moments Feel Permanent

December 2, 2022

brockhampton the family

BROCKHAMPTON's The Family Is a Curiously Tense, One-Sided "Final" Act

November 17, 2022

kings disease iii review

Nas' King’s Disease III Saves the Best for Last

November 11, 2022

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • Modern Drummer
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Work For Us
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

Album Review: Creed OST

Menu Shop Search Newsletter
Consequence
News
  • News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • All Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week
Live
  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
Videos
  • Interviews
  • Two for the Road
  • First Time I Heard
  • When I Made
  • Battle of the Bandmates
  • Peer 2 Peer
  • Essays
  • Fan Theories
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop
  • Shop
  • Giveaways

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close