‘Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album’ soundtrack expands on the story that created the film inspired by Fred Hampton

Rap artists such as Jay-Z and the late Nipsey Hussle were featured on the ‘Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album’ soundtrack (Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images)

The highly anticipated film, “Judas and the Black Messiah,” that depicted the story of the death of Black Panther Party chairman, Fred Hampton, was accompanied by its soundtrack, “Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album.”

Similar to the star-studded film, the album features an impressive roster of rap and R&B artists that came together to produce a compilation album that seamlessly expands on the political and social justice themes presented in the film. 

The album is executively produced by Hit-Boy, one of hip-hop’s most popular producers, and assembles artists spanning from multiple generations. This includes newer artists JID, Polo G, Pooh Shiesty and Saba along with rap veterans such as Nas, Rakim, Black Thought and includes a powerful collaboration between Jay-Z and the late Nipsey Hussle. 

Solomon Comissiong, an African American studies professor at the University of Maryland that teaches a class on understanding hip-hop culture and its impact on society, said that the album was unique because it brought a balance to the mainstream hip-hop that listeners often hear on the radio, that is rarely political or culturally edifying.

“The album was reflective of the movie in the sense that it was music outside the constraints of corporate media,” he said. “If these issues of social justice are kept off of the mental airways of everyday folk, it’s preventing them from knowing about these issues and I think that’s the great thing about music, it can raise perspective consciousness.” 

Some standout moments from the album, which features22 songs, include the opening track, “Cointelpro/ Dec. 4” that directly addresses the film’s subject matter and reminds listeners of the F.B.I.’s illegal 1960s counterintelligence program that aimed to destroy civil rights groups such as the Black Panthers and includes a looped audio clip of Fred Hampton’s “I am a Revolutionary” chant. 

Jay-Z calls out former president Donald Trump for inciting the siege of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6 with these lyrics from “What It Feels Like.” 

“You let them crackers storm your Capitol, put they feet up on your desk. And yet you talkin' tough to me, I lost all my little respect,”

Polo G uses his song, “Last Man Standing” to talk about the hardships of living in Black ghettos, specifically dealing with police brutality, with these lines,

“They threatin' us, oppressin' us, we 'posed to play that cordially.  Thinkin' 'bout that sh*t, like what if George is me?” 

In recent years, accompanying soundtracks have become just as important as the film itself. This can be seen in the Top Dawg Entertainment-produced “Black Panther” album that won two Grammys or Beyoncé’s “The Lion King: The Gift” which received its own film adaptation, “Black is King.” Soundtracks as extensive as these allow the audience to continue exploring the ideas and messages that were portrayed in the film through the lens of a different medium. 

Raheem Seaforth, a junior psychology major, said that he believes that artists are eager to be a part of these soundtracks that highlight and celebrate Black stories.

“The film highlights one of the greatest revolutionaries we’ve ever seen, and as an artist, especially a Black artist, if you’re able to create art to celebrate or honor someone like that, I think you’d jump at the opportunity,” he said. 

Kayla Nazaire, a sophomore journalism major, said that she enjoyed seeing artists like Pooh Shiesty and G Herbo, who are not usually associated with conscious or political rap, on the album, because it made her think about how the Black Panther Party was able to make such a large impact on society without being the poster child of the civil rights movement. 

“To put people like Pooh Shiesty, G Herbo or Polo G on this album, who are usually associated with street or trap music, it’s kind of a representation of the Black Panthers and how they’ve been thought about because they’ve never been the poster child for social activism,” she said. 

 The political themes that are prevalent throughout this album take the audience back to the golden era of hip-hop. The golden era of hip-hop refers to mainstream hip-hop in the 1980s that focused on Black nationalism and often rapped about issues oppressing African American communities such as police brutality, drugs and gang violence. Comissiong believes this era of conscious rap was resurrected by this album and will cause listeners to seek out more information on these important issues.

“[The album] has the power to raise consciousness to a level where [the listener] will say, ‘Okay, I didn’t know about this, let me go seek this information out,” Comissiong concluded.