With a little less than a month since its debut, WGN’s new series, Underground, has taken the world by storm. The show, which tells the story of a group of slaves on a plantation in Macon, GA, follows them as they try to escape to safety in the north. The show, which seems to be pretty spot on when it comes to historical accuracy, features a cast of several familiar faces, (Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Mykelti Williamson) and a few not so familiar faces (Aldis Hodge and Alano Miller) as well. Although the show generally does a good job of taking viewers back in time, there is one particular aspect of Underground that might just catch viewers off guard.
During several of the show’s scenes, the background music is not what you’d expect. Instead of gospel hymns or old negro spirituals, there are songs from people like The Weeknd. While modern music fans will certainly might enjoy getting the chance to hear some of their favorite artists, there’s no denying the fact that hearing contemporary pop tunes in a show based in the 1800s is a little bizarre – especially since music and dance played a big role in the experience of African-American slaves. According to legendary musician, Raphael Saadiq, “The commercial side … it grabs viewers, it grabs a younger audience. Also, it keeps in mind that rooted music was the first music anyway. It all came from that.” The show’s executive producer, John Legend, who had a huge role in selecting the songs for the show, also supports the musical choices. It’s clear that the people behind the scenes of Underground wanted to do something a little different, but only time will tell whether or not they hit the mark. As the show, which is about to go into its fifth episode, continues, it’ll be interesting to see which other modern artists make the cut.
Check out the video to hear more about the music in Underground.
Tune into Underground on WGN Wednesdays at 10PM EST.
lead image via v103.cbslocal.com
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