MUSIC: Nas & Erykah Badu – This Bitter Land

[embed width="640" height="750"]https://soundcloud.com/massappealrecs/nas-erykah-badu-this-bitter-land[/embed]
Released this past July, indie flick The Land tells the story of four Cleveland teenagers whose dreams of becoming pro skateboarders are threatened when they’re caught up in a dangerous drug deal. The second single from The Land’s soundtrack, “This Bitter Land,” features Erykah Badu (who stars in the film) and Nas (who produced it).
Badu's expressive soprano lilts along with the symphonic swelling of strings, as her lyrics shift from sorrowful to hopeful verses. And no beats are necessary with a flow like Nas’ on the track: his verse convincingly stands on its own, showcasing lines so of-the-moment that they could be ticker quotes from CNN:
Cop shot us up, he get a medal then retire
But it never will define me
Write a letter to the president, whoever in control of the society
Tell 'em stop riding me, stop driving us into a suicidal ideology
“This Bitter Land” is a movingly atmospheric piece that should serve as the perfect accompaniment to the film.  There’s just one problem with the track, though: It’s hardly an original piece. Take a listen to "This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Daylight,” from the 2010 soundtrack to Shutter Island:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXHGoaEtmFM
Shutter Island's musical director, Robbie Robertson, brilliantly paired up Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth” with composer Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” for the finale of that film. Although recorded 44 years apart, Washington’s vocals and Richter’s string arrangements sound practically birthed from the same mind.
Nas and Badu's effort is clearly intended as an homage to the original. Even Badu’s emotional shift between the two verses—from sorrowful to hopeful—mirrors Washington's. But it's shaky ground: Where exactly is the line between tribute and outright artistic theft? Here, "This Bitter Land" seems but a dim imitation of the original's triumph.