Redacted Studios and Versus Evil have released the official soundtrack video for Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma which features hip-hop artist Visual Eyez performing the explosive track, Deadly Identities.
The video gives us an idea of the type of music that is set to be the heartbeat of Afro Samurai 2, which has been described as a "hip-hop opera" by Redacted’s founder, David Robinson.
In an exclusive interview with PlayStation Universe, we also learn that the studio is seeking hip-hop indie talent from around the world to help create the soundtracks for other chapters in this episodic Afro Samurai 2 series.
New hip-hop talent wanted for Afro Samurai 2
So far, the music for chapter one is complete with Oakland rapper, Roberto Mccoy (Visual Eyez) bringing his unique range and raw talent to the hack ‘n slash action adventure. The music for chapter three will be created by Brooklyn rapper and music producer RZA (Wu-Tang Clan). That leaves the soundtracks for chapter two and other potential new chapters wide open for new hip-hop indie talent.
“We are actively recruiting across Europe and Asia, for soulful contributors,” explains Robinson during the interview. “Rap is this amazing language that is being spoken more than ever across the world so why not create a platform where we can create an operatic voice across interactive. And that’s what we hope to be – this brand new sort of establishment of operatic voice that uses hip-hop as that language.”
The first chapter of Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma is due to be released shortly, though a firm release date has yet to be confirmed. During the interview, we talk to David about the new direction of the series and how he’s created a more accessible and intuitive combat system since he left Bandai Namco to concentrate solely on his vision for Afro Samurai.
Check out the Afro Samurai 2 debut trailer.