Tracey Waples, Senior VP of Marketing for Def Jam, says the label originally wanted Jay to create the official soundtrack to American Gangster. Star of the film, Denzel Washington apparently pushed for that to happen but eventually the idea was shot down by the movie's producers, who opted instead for an album inspired by the movie.
Maybe they should've gotten sassy and stabbed Ridley Scott in the eye. Or not.
In addition to planning a mini-film for each track on Jay's album, the company plans to market it alongside theater releases of the movie. Waples talks about it here:
We're in talks to be a part of the future movie trailers. But we're going to do a very aggressive street campaign promoting the album and the soundtrack in and around the movie theaters the week of release. American Gangster is akin to Streets Is Watching with a modern-day balance through the online component. We're expecting to reach both a new younger and older demographic, along with the loyal 30-plus crowd through the American Gangster film association.
