Judas And The Black Messiah hit select theaters and HBO Max on February 12. The critically-acclaimed motion picture about the FBI’s infiltration of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and the assassination of the chapter’s 21-year-old chairman Fred Hampton.
The movie was accompanied by a star-studded soundtrack which was executive produced by Hit-Boy, Ryan Coogler, Dash Sherrod, and Archie Davis. Hip Hop stars like Nas, Black Thought, Nipsey Hussle, Jay-Z, Rakim, A$AP Rocky, G Herbo, Bump J, Lil Durk, J.I.D, Rapsody, and Polo G were featured on tracks for the album.
Apple Music’s Ebro Darden recently caught up with Coogler, Hit-Boy, and Nas to talk about the music inspired by Director Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah film. The four men also discussed the role Black women play in social justice movements and in their particular lives.
“Seeing Kamala Harris up there now, there are people that look at her past or this or that. And we have to look at historically what her journey was, how intelligent, how much heart she has, and her accomplishments,” said Nas. “Being the vice president, the first woman vice president in this country, it just says so many things. It opens doors. My daughter is proud of that. My nieces – I’m proud of it. We’re nothing without our women.”
Hit-Boy also spoke to Darden about being impacted by the Black women in his own life. The music producer/recording artist then reflected on his successful career over the last decade and being able to work on a compilation like Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album.
“I mean, just starting with my grandma and my mom. Just being there for me to lock in. They always wanted me to do something that meant something. So for me to work on music for this long and really be able to focus, I don’t even know how I became a part of this, it’s just unreal. To have records with Nas, records with G Herbo, Bump J. It’s just, it’s unbelievable.”