Here’s every song that featured on the Dear White People soundtrack during the show’s first season. Based on the 2014 film of the same name, Dear White People debuted on Netflix in 2017 and recently concluded its critically acclaimed third season. The series follows a group of black students as they navigate life and race politics at a prestigious, predominantly white Ivy League college, the fictional Winchester University.
Music features prominently on the show and not just because main character Samantha White (Logan Browning, The Perfection) is the host of a college radio show. In Dear White People’s first season each episode bar its finale revolved around a particular character, so some of the songs featured in certain episodes essentially served as their own soundtrack. Alongside a musical score by Juilliard-trained pianist and composer Kris Bowers - who also scored When They See Us - music supervisor Morgan Rhodes crafted a curated soundtrack that represented the show’s characters.
While Columbia Records released an official soundtrack for season 1 of Dear White People, some songs featured on the show aren’t included. Here’s a more complete breakdown of the season 1 soundtrack, episode by episode.
Episode 1, “Chapter I”
- Tkay Maidza (ft. Killer Mike) – ‘Carry On’ Noname (ft. theMIND) – ‘Sunny Duet’ Innanet James – ‘Black’ Joubert Singers – ‘Stand On The World’
Episode 2, “Chapter II”
- Childish Gambino – ‘Redbone’ Roman GianArthur – ‘I-69’ Hidden Charms – ‘Cannonball’ The Softones – ‘My Dream’
Episode 3, “Chapter III”
- Leon Haywood – ‘I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You’ Baeza – ‘Living It Up’ Childish Gambino – ‘Terrified’ Rex Orange County – ‘UNO’
Episode 4, “Chapter IV”
- Chloe x Halle – ‘Bougie Party’ QUIÑ – ‘I Am’ Anna Wise – ‘Precious Possession’ Rejjie Snow – ‘Blakkst Skn’ Joi – ‘Freedom’ Shura – ‘Indecision’
Episode 5, “Chapter V”
- Izzy Bizu – ‘White Tiger’ Future – ‘Trap N****s’ Michael Kiwanuka – ‘Love & Hate’
Episode 6, “Chapter VI”
- Rapsody – ‘Drama’ J Dilla – ‘F*** The Police’ Elmore Judd – ‘There’s A War Going On’ Vicktor Taiwò – ‘Digital Kids’
Episode 7, “Chapter VII”
- Wolfie – ‘Obi-Wan’ Unloved – ‘Guilty Of Love’
Episode 8, “Chapter VIII”
- Future – ‘Trap N****s’ Wild Beasts – ‘Ponytail’ Shamir – ‘Sometimes A Man’ Jean Deaux – ‘Father Time’ Thelma Houston – ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’ James Tillman – ‘Casual Encounters’ Beta Frontiers (ft. Becky Ninkovic) – ‘Hondo’
Episode 9, “Chapter IX”
- Beacon – ‘IM U’
Episode 10, “Chapter X”
- Run the Jewels – ‘Legend Has It’ A Tribe Called Quest (ft. Busta Rhymes) – ‘We The People….’
The Dear White People soundtrack for season 1 encompasses a wide range of genres from soul and R&B to hip-hop and indie. Certain songs stand out as particularly representative of certain characters too. Music supervisor Morgan Rhodes viewed Troy Fairbanks (Brandon P. Bell) as something of an old soul when it came to his musical tastes, so she selected songs like Leon Haywood’s classic 1970s soul song ‘I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You’. In the case of activist Samantha, Rhodes chose songs like Joi’s 1994 neo-soul song ‘Freedom’ and Innanet James’ free-associative rap track ‘Black’ to capture her character.
It’s an effective tactic that crafts a perfect portrait of the show’s characters and their lives. Soundtracks can make or break movies and shows but with Dear White People, the music featured only makes it better.
Next: What To Expect From Dear White People Season 4
