Highest 2 Lowest <\/em>script.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tLee says that even though there are elements of A$AP Rocky in both of his songs (calling himself \u201ca purty guy\u201d on \u201cTrunks\u201d, and pensive, cloudy vibes on \u201cBoth Eyes Closed\u201d), they were recorded from the perspective of Young Felon, the antagonistic rapper that the Harlem native portrays. Lee was hands-on with the songs crafted by Aiyana Lee and McRae, whom he calls \u201cgreat new talents\u201d that he found on Instagram (both women say it took them a while to realize he was in their direct message requests).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tAiyana Lee fed the elder Lee\u2019s need for a \u201cgangbuster\u201d of a song at the end of the movie. The director says he was looking for a moment akin to Jennifer Hudson\u2019s iconic Dreamgirls<\/em> rendition of \u201cYou\u2019re Gonna Love Me\u201d and sought out Aiyana for the role. Aiyana says that Spike jokingly introduced himself via DM by asking, \u201cAre we cousins?\u201d referring to their shared last name. After receiving thematic direction from Spike, she recorded multiple songs for about a week (\u201cI have a folder full of Spike Lee joints,\u201d she says), conferring with him before she finally reached a version that worked for the film.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tAiyana sings the eponymous track in front of King at the end of the movie. And while many movies overdub singing scenes with a studio version of a song, what viewers hear in Highest 2 Lowest<\/em> is her on-set recording. Adorned with an acting mic, she sang the song \u201cover 20 times\u201d during what she calls a \u201csurreal experience\u201d in front of Washington. Aiyana says, \u201cI think it brought so much raw dimension and storytelling to it because it wasn\u2019t perfect, but it was emotional, which I think is more important than perfection.\u201d Spike notes that he had composer Howard Drossin, who scored the film, to add instrumentation as Aiyana sings to symbolize King imagining how to produce for her in real time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tSimilarly, Spike asked McRae to craft \u201cKing David,\u201d a folk song that she performs for King in the film. She says that she first spoke with Lee while crafting her I Don\u2019t Know How But They Found Me!<\/em> album. After getting Lee\u2019s requests on the direction of the song, she wrote two versions of the song in 30 minutes. \u201cBecause I went to music school, I\u2019m very good with an assignment,\u201d she says via Zoom. \u201cI feel like my creativity is aided by having constraints and limitations, so it flowed out very quickly.\u201d She filmed her scene during a break from a music tour, filming \u201cfive or six\u201d takes of her singing live in King\u2019s record label office. \u201cI was the most nervous I\u2019ve ever been in my entire life,\u201d she says of the scene, where she plays a folk singer seeking to be signed to King\u2019s Stackin\u2019 Hits Records.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\t\u201cI felt connected to the idea of scrapping and clawing to get 60 seconds of attention from someone who might help me,\u201d she says of her relation to the character. \u201cIt definitely was not a stretch for me to imagine being a person who was desperate for the approval and attention of someone with more power than me.\u201d Of McRae, Lee laughingly says, \u201cI needed a black Joni Mitchell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBoth women recorded studio versions of their songs with Drossin, who has previously worked with Lee on BlacKkKlansman<\/em>, Chi-Raq<\/em>, and Inside Man<\/em>. Aiyana recorded the title track and \u201cPrisencolin (Americano Joint),\u201d her take on Adriano Celentano\u2019s \u201cPrisencolinensinainciusol\u201d that plays during the end credits. And McRae\u2019s \u201cKing David\u201d was recorded with the Fergus McReadie trio, a Scottish jazz band whom Lee stumbled upon and took an impromptu redeye flight (with Drossin) to see at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival. Spike was so impressed that he had the band work with Drossin to score various parts of the film, including a climactic scene backdropped by their song, \u201cWe Got This (Stony Gate 2).\u201c\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tDrossin initially came onto the project to work with Aiyana Lee on the movie\u2019s title track, before Lee asked him to score the entire film. He says that he crafted the lush, orchestral score to mirror the popular sound of the 1970s, the time period when the fictional David King first began shaping his musical tastes. Piano and guitar-driven compositions were chosen for David\u2019s score because, as Drossin says, \u201cit\u2019s a deeply expressive instrument that has so much range.\u201d The score\u2019s buoyant moments reflect King\u2019s flamboyance and luxurious lifestyle, while \u201ccold\u201d and \u201csparse\u201d piano solos symbolize moments of isolated angst. Drossin adds that David\u2019s driver, Paul Christopher, played by Jeffrey Wright, has a sad score to reflect his struggle in the film, while the NYPD has a grand score during scenes where a cadre of cars swarm King\u2019s sprawling condo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFor Lee, the process with Drossin is no different than working with his late father, jazz musician Bill Lee, or frequent collaborator Terrence Blanchard. \u201cIt\u2019s a coming together of: How are we to help support the film for the score?\u201d Spike says. \u201cThe cinematography is in service to the film. The production design is in service to the film [as well as] the editing. And I include music in that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tSpike picked songs from soul greats like James Brown and McFadden & Whitehead for the film independently, but the score was a collaborative effort. Drossin says the two initially held a \u201cspotting\u201d session, where they watched a cut of the film and Lee told him where he wanted to add music. \u201cSpike will whisper to me, \u2018I want this to be lush. I want this to be really big here.\u2019 Or. \u2018I want this to be very percussive here. Spike is very detailed and clear about what he wants in his films.\u201d Drossin says they finalized the score \u201cvery, very quickly,\u201d a testament to their working relationship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s no one like Spike, in a lot of ways,\u201d Drossin says. \u201cSpike has great musical instincts, and he trusts his instincts. And I trust him because every comment he\u2019s ever made and everything that I\u2019ve done with him has made me better.\u201d Throughout the film, some moments of dialogue occur with a rousing score, while others don\u2019t. When I ask Lee the logic behind scoring the movie\u2019s conversations, he reflects the musical inclinations Drossin mentioned: \u201cI mean\u2026really, my brother, I\u2019ve been doing [feature films] since 1986. I just have a feel for when we need music and when we don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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