Music impresario Jay-Z collaborated with the late, legendary Nipsey Hussle for one of the tracks on the upcoming biopic Judas and the Black Messiah that will be released on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.
The Jay and Hussle single, “What It Feels Like,” is part of the movie soundtrack that also includes the H.E.R. single “Fight For You,” which has already garnered a 2021 Golden Globe nomination for best motion picture song, Billboard reports.
Hussle passed away on March 31, 2019, in front of his renowned Marathon Clothing store at the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue. Jay-Z was one of the hip hop luminaries who penned heartfelt letters to the icon at his moving memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in April 2019.
“You were a curious soul who was evolving at a speed that was truly inspiring. The seeds you have planted are already bearing fruit. The outpouring of admiration is testimony to the love and respect you’ve farmed,” Jay said of Hussle, according to Billboard. “Sleep well King, The Marathon continues as a line of energy for all of us to consider. Love and Light, Jay.”
As the publication points out, Jay-Z and Nipsey have a loose connection related to the movie and the Black Panther Party, which thrived in the late 1960s. Fred Hampton was one of the leaders and most charismatic spokespersons of the Panthers, which was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California, in 1966. As the BPP quickly expanded across the country, Hampton took over the reins of the Panther’s Chicago chapter. But he was soon betrayed by his associate William O’Neil, who became a key informant during the FBI’s “Counterintelligence Program,” or COINTELPRO, which was designed to neutralize Black leaders who could “unify the Black masses.” O’Neil gave up Hampton’s private address, which police used to take out Hampton during an overnight raid of his home on Dec. 4, 1969, the day that Jay-Z was born.
Hussle was also taken out by his former associate Eric Holder, who is now in jail awaiting trial.
Flip the page to check out the Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle collaborative single.
