“All the Stars” From ‘Black Panther’ Rumored to Be One of Only Two Songs Performed at Oscars

It’s been a rocky “off-season” for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Not only will the annual gala be without a host for the first time in 30 years, but The Academy has also decided to tweak a few aspects of the show, leaving some fans of the event questioning the motivations behind the show.

In an effort to keep the telecast under three hours, The Academy has decided that only two of the five nominees for this year’s Best Original Song award will perform, breaking from tradition. According to Variety, only “All the Stars” from Black Panther and “Shallow” from A Star Is Born will be performed during the show.

This is a rather significant break from the norm as traditionally, all five nominees have had the chance to perform their songs ahead of the unveiling of the award. To add to the questionable move — or dare I say, conspiracy — the pair of songs (and their respective albums) were both released through Interscope Records, an imprint owned by Universal Music Group.

Through Variety’s report, the other three songs — “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns, “I’ll Fight” from RBG, and “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs — will only receive recognition during the award announcement itself, understandably causing concern in circles within the music community.

Best Original Song isn’t the only Oscar nomination Black Panther received. In fact, the Marvel Studios property hauled in a total of seven nominations, including Best Picture — making it the first superhero film to ever earn a nomination.

“All The Stars,” an original song recorded solely for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has been gaining steam this awards season, being nominated for both Record and Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards, in addition to its Oscar nod. In total, the Black Panther soundtrack earned eight Grammy nominations, including Record, Album, and Sony of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media, and Best Song Written For Visual Media.

“Shallow” was the only other Oscar-nominated song to receive a Grammy nomination, where it’s also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Compiled by Kendrick Lamar, Black Panther: The Album features fourteen tracks from some of the most recognized hip-hop artists in the game today, including SZA, Jay Rock, Khalid, and 2 Chainz.

Are you looking forward to watching this year’s Academy Awards? Do you think Black Panther has a shot at Best Picture? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The 91st Academy Awards are February 24th at 8:00 pm Eastern on ABC.