The long-awaited Gladiator sequel is finally on the way, and the Ridley Scott-directed film released the first trailer for the Roman Empire blockbuster on Tuesday (July 9) featuring Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Jay-Z’s “No Church in the Wild.”
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Ye’s bars didn’t make the cut, but vocals from Jay and Frank Ocean’s soothing chorus are heard at various points of the bloodthirsty teaser. Some viewers were confused by the Watch the Throne reference, but a deeper look into the lyrics used make more sense as a fit for the film’s themes.
“Tears on the mausoleum floor/ Bloodstains the Colosseum doors,” Hov raps while seemingly referencing the varying reactions to deaths from opposite sectors of society. Colosseum battles are also part of the Gladiator lore. Ocean sings about the different levels of social hierarchy: “Human beings in a mob/ What’s a mob to a king/ What’s a king to a God.”
Ye and Jay have sampled Gladiator with their music in the past. Vultures cut “Burn” finds West using the classic “Are you not entertained?” line. Hov sampled the same on The Black Album‘s “What More Can I Say.”
Still, there were mixed reactions from fans hearing the Frank Ocean-assisted Watch the Throne track used in the sequel’s trailer.
“This reminded me: 1. Gladiator is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen and we need more 2. Watch The Throne is one of the most important rap albums of all time and has real staying power 3. I really shouldn’t watch dope movie trailers this close to bed time,” one fan wrote to X.
On the other side of the fence, one person blasted the decision: “The marketing team slapping Jay-Z & Kanye West’s No Church In The Wild on the trailer are so f—ing out of their element or the movie really is gonna be just that bad.”
Gladiator II hits theaters Nov. 22. The sequel to the 2000 classic stars Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, Connie Nielson and more.
“No Church in the Wild” served as a standout on the Billboard 200-topping Watch the Throne, which arrived in 2011. The platinum track reached No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Find more reactions to “No Church in the Wild” soundtracking the Gladiator II trailer below.
