Director and screenplay writer Shaka King didn't equivocate about the commerciality of Judas and the Black Messiah, his film relating an account of an FBI informant's infiltration of the Black Panther Party for the sake of taking out Illinois chapter leader
Fred Hampton. That's one reason to not expect the track list of its "inspired album" -- released by a Sony-distributed major label the same day as the film and instrumental soundtrack proper -- to be stacked with underground Marxist-Leninist rappers espousing nothing but intentions and beliefs in line with those of
Hampton. This set does lead with a track featuring the words of activist Fred Hampton, Jr., who was born mere weeks after his father was assassinated. It also includes inspired and often poignant verses from a broad mix of MCs and singers, the majority of whom indeed have high profiles. None of the many Chicagoans, such as
Saba,
Lil Durk,
Polo G,
Bump J, and
BJ the Chicago Kid, took the project lightly. That also goes for veterans such as
Rakim (on the biographical finale),
Jay-Z (whose track is augmented by the late
Nipsey Hussle), and
Black Thought ("My grandmother sutured a flag from bloody cotton/The fruits of her labor, alas, already rotten"). While the materialism and egocentrism in some of the tracks no doubt clash with the film, matters such as survival, self-defense, and power are more frequently raised. Critiques of issues related to white supremacy, from police brutality to voter suppression, aren't far behind. Also featured here is the relevant song that plays over the film's closing credits:
H.E.R.'s "Fight for You," an affirmative throwback with shades of
Marvin Gaye's "You're the Man." ~ Andy Kellman