How 'Godfather of Harlem' landed Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and more for Season 3 Needle Drops

Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes and Lord Afrixana are just some of the artists whose music is featured in the third season of MGM+'s "Godfather of Harlem" in the 1960s. "I don't choose artists based on their names, I choose artists based on what we're trying to do," says Swizz Beatz, who is the musical producer and creative director of the show.

In putting together the series' soundscape, Beatz says he tried to be thoughtful when of the use of an investment. "The music is so powerful and with that I wanted to use it to give the characters an authentic landscape," he says.

He also didn't want to put himself in a box by selecting 1960s music instead, we gave him creative freedom to use new artists, which helped him find the right approach and the right voices.

Bumpy Johnson, played by Forest Whitaker, is the notorious crime boss who, in the third season, is fighting to keep control of Harlem. Beatz wanted the music to "become the voice in Forest's head and part of the character".

For the show's theme song, "Hustle, Repeat", by Beatz and Jadakiss, Beatz says he started out watching bad guys in movies.

Based on the season's cold open, the song recalls the timelessness of hip-hop from the East Coast and contains the Bumpy Anthem. In the scene, Bumpy and his cronies pull off a bank truck robbery. “Bumpy has lost everything and he has to make money, hustle, repeat,” says Beatz. "The song is what Bumpy thinks in his head, 'I gotta get it and get back on my feet,' and that's how it went."

Beatz wanted to do something strong, so he brought in Rick Ross and DMX for the help and add voice. "Rick is a great storyteller and brings all that energy, it feels like something we've never seen before," says Beatz.

He recruited SAINt JHN, Fivio Foreign and BIA for "Street Opera", a tune of club vibes . For this placement, Beatz says, “I wanted to give young people something they could think and feel. It's so dramatic and dangerous. Fivio went crazy on the track, and I thought he would grab the stage and fit right into the show."

Working with collaborators, Beatz first pitches the track before asking who would sound good on the piece.

He explains, "I needed female energy on 'Street Opera' and that's why I chose BIA. But Fivio is at the top of his game, so we're shooting for the stars and seeing if we can get them."

Listen to the soundtrack below.