DiCaprio made Jay-Z meet Luhrmann

Los Angeles, March 16 (IANS) Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was instrumental in making rapper Jay-Z come on board to compose the musical score for Baz Luhrmann's upcoming film "The Great Gatsby".

DiCaprio, who plays the title role in the movie, introduced Jay-Z to Luhrmann. The meeting led to a two-year's collaboration between the rapper and director to create a "modern twist" for the soundtrack of the film, which is a big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same name.

"As soon as I spoke with Baz and Leonardo, I knew this was the right project. 'The Great Gatsby' is that classic American story of one's introduction to extravagance, decadence and illusion," contactmusic.com quoted Jay Z as saying.

"It's ripe for experimentation and ready to be interpreted with a modern twist. The imagination Baz brought to 'Moulin Rouge' made it a masterpiece, and the 'Romeo + Juliet' score wasn't just in the background - the music became a character. This film's vision and direction has all the makings of an epic experience," he added.

Luhrmann, who believes the rapper is a "natural fit" for the film, said: "(Jay-Z is) a credible and natural fit. Fitzgerald was a pioneer, famed and controversial for using the then-new and explosive sound called jazz in his novels and short stories - not just as decoration, but to actively tell story using the immediacy of pop culture. He coined the phrase 'the Jazz Age'."

"Not only is Jay-Z a great artist, full stop, but I had heard that he was a great collaborator. Leonardo and I were lucky enough to be present in a recording session over two years ago as Jay-Z was recording 'No Church in the Wild,' and the collaboration grew from there," added Luhrmann.

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The Great Gatsby