Captain America: Brave New World Surprises Fans As THIS Kendrick Lamar Hit Makes a Surprise Appearance; DEETS

Captain America: Brave New World gifts fans with a surprise Kendrick Lamar track as Anthony Mackie gushes about the rapper's involvement in the movie's score. Find the details inside.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Updated on Feb 15, 2025 | 04:08 PM IST | 17.9K

CC: Getty Images

Pulitzer-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar has returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but this time around, he's lending his musical contribution to the title track of Captain America: Brave New World. The long-awaited fourth film in the Captain America franchise, which features Anthony Mackie, arrived in theaters on February 14.

Mackie, who portrays Sam Wilson, opened up about Lamar's involvement in the score of his stand-alone film in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. Over the moon, the 46-year-old actor was full of praise for Lamar's artistry and influence, citing how much he loved the rapper's work.

The 8 Mile actor said, "Kendrick did the title song for my movie—I hope that’s not supposed to be a surprise," adding, "I’m so excited, man. The beauty and mastery of his craft."

Though Mackie withheld information regarding the title of the song, fans now have returned from the theaters with a wide grin as they heard Lamar's track in the movie. The Squabble Up rapper's 2015 hit, "i" (Single Version), captured the audience's attention as it turned out to be the title track of the film.

Lamar released the song on September 23, 2014, as the lead single for his third studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly, although a different version of the song appeared on his album.

This is Lamar's second significant collaboration with the MCU. The Humble rapper created Black Panther: The Album for the 2018 movie, Black Panther.

The soundtrack includes hit songs like All the Stars featuring SZA, King's Dead featuring Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake, and Pray for Me featuring The Weeknd. His work on that soundtrack contributed significantly to the cultural relevance of the film.

Kendrick Lamar's new MCU collaboration follows an already dramatic 2025. In the first half of this month, he took over the Grammys, bagging five awards for the Drake diss song, Not Like Us. In addition, he also performed the song at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in New Orleans featuring Serena Williams, which quickly went viral online.

Meanwhile, fans can watch Captain America: Brave New World now playing in theaters worldwide.