Inside the Music of 'The Great Gatsby'

Without a doubt, The Great Gatsby is one of the most lavish and lushly produced films of the year. Springing from the imaginative mind of Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge), music also plays a huge role in telling the story of the elusive Jay Gatsby, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Aussie director recruited no less than Jay-Z to help sculpt the soundtrack and bring the Jazz Age to the 21st century.

Pics: The 'Gatsby' World Premiere 

"Jazz was this almost underground music at the time, like hip-hop started out," says Jay-Z, whose contemporary music style blends seamlessly with the classic jazz of the film. "I like to think of [the music] as a character, because it's so interwoven into the storyline."

"As much as Baz is a great filmmaker, he is a fanatic about music as well," adds Leo. "I love how infusing hip-hop makes you understand the cultural references and what it would be like if these people existed today."

Inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings, the Gatsby soundtrack includes such diverse and exciting artists as Beyonce and Andre 3000, will.i.am, Florence and the Machine, Sia, Nero, Gotye, Bryan Ferry and more.

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In theaters May 10, The Great Gatsby follows writer named Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he heads to New York in search of the American Dream in 1922, ending up next door to mysterious, party-giving millionaire Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio) across the bay from his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her philandering husband Tom (Joel Edgarton). Soon, Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super-rich, along with their illusions, loves and deceits.