“What It Feels Like” by Nipsey Hussle & Jay-Z

Nipsey Hussle and Jay-Z’s “What It Feels Like” comes from the soundtrack of “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2021), a historical piece harking back to the heyday of the Black Panther Party. 

The Black Panther Party is an African-American political organization with a revolutionary/self-defense slant, who were most active during the late-1960s. They are often perceived as heroes of the Black American community – the types who did not let the White powers-that-be intimidate them. 

And it is such a spirit which Jay-Z in particular and the late Nipsey Hussle by default are bringing to “What It Feels Like”.  Nipsey, even after his death in 2019, has become known as sort of a lyrical Black Panther himself. Countless references to the Black struggle for freedom can be commonly found within his lyrics. And whereas Jigga’s hits tend to be a bit more lighthearted so to speak, when the opportunity presents itself he can also get quite political.

However, as noted in the trivia section of this post, Nipsey’s contribution to “What It Feels Like”, unlike Jay-Z’s, was not directly inspired by the aforementioned film. So in terms of his contribution, what we have is the usual Nipsey Hussle fare. And this is a fare that sees the rapper bragging about his street credibility and come-up interlaced, in this case, with at least one reference to Black liberation. 

For again, throughout his career he normally espoused the idea of freedom for his people, even if he was by and large an L.A. gangsta rapper. And in terms of said reference he gives a shoutout to the late Malcolm X (1925-1965), with Nip implying that he too is a leader of such caliber.

Jay-Z Steps In

And for his part, Jay-Z pretty much operates along a similar vein. He starts off by referring to his own street cred, i.e. the well-known fact that he sold drugs prior to becoming a musician. However, his most notable contribution – and indeed the part of this song which has made the most headlines – is when he uses the infamous 2021 riots at the US Capitol (in Washington D.C.) to point out a racist double standard in America. 

In other words, the way Hov sees it is that “the crackers”, i.e. White people, who ‘stormed the Capitol’ got off with a slap on the wrist, if anything. Meanwhile the implication is that people such as himself, i.e. Blacks, are always getting threatened by the law. And such a theme is pretty much what the entirety of his verse is based on. Simply put, the verse centers on this idea of America having it in for Black people, and Hov ‘feeling like Black Messiah’, i.e. a liberator himself akin to Fred Hampton (1948-1969). FYI, Hampton is the hero of “Judas and the Black Messiah”. 

Fred Hampton

In fact Jay-Z interestingly points out that he was born on the exact same day that Fred Hampton was “assassinated” by Chicago police officers. And just the fact that he refers to Hampton’s killing as an ‘assassination’ perpetrated by the police is a powerful statement in and of itself. And why? This is because law enforcement claimed they acted in self-defense. The officers were never punished for what was clearly a murder. 

Indeed when such historical pieces like “Judas and the Black Messiah” come out, they tend to have a certain effect on the African-American community, opening old wounds so to speak. And with that in mind, it can be said that Jigga is pissed off at the fate that Hampton and other such Black leaders met. Verily he ends his verse by asserting that the Black struggle for freedom will continue despite the ‘blood that has been spilled’ by adversaries of the cause.

In Conclusion

Meanwhile concerning the title and chorus, as implied earlier when this song was originally conceived it apparently had nothing to do with the Black struggle per se. In other words, based on the content of Nipsey’s verse, originally “What It Feels Like” may have more or less been your quintessential braggadocious tune. That is to say that the ‘feeling’ he is apparently referring to is a “good” one, i.e. what a person experiences when they are successful and satisfied, as he is during his verse.

So we can even conclude by putting forth that “What It Feels Like” is actually a dual-themed song. On one hand, being inspired by “Judas and the Black Messiah” and let’s say Nipsey Hussle’s belief system in general, it speaks to the concept of Black liberation. But on the other hand, it features rappers doing what they do best, which is touting their toughness and level of success.

Release Date

This track was released on 12 February 2021 as the lead single from “Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album” (2021).

Meanwhile the teasing of this song took place a few days prior, on 9 February. And it was done so via the official Twitter account of “Judas and the Black Messiah”. The film in question was put out by Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max in early-February, 2021. Meanwhile, the label that issued the track itself is Atlantic Records.

Is this the first collaboration between Jay-Z and Nipsey?

Yes. This is the first collaboration between Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle (1982-2019). It seems that they may have only met face-to-face perhaps only once, at an event Nipsey Hussle was holding. However, according to Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z still had a genuine love for Nip. Indeed one can ascertain such themselves by observing how Jigga supported Hussle while he was alive, on top of how he memorialized him upon his passing.

In fact Hov has even pledged all of his earnings from “What It Feels Like” to Nipsey Hussle’s estate. And he is also donating part to an initiative called Hampton House. This initiative is working on converting the home where Fred Hampton (the central figure in the aforementioned film) grew up into a community center.

The making of “What It Feels Like”

Co-producers Rance and Mike & Keys explained this song as one which was years in the making. And Nipsey had actually participated on it during his lifetime. As for Jay-Z, he only became formally involved in the project in 2020. And reportedly Ryan Coogler, a well-known filmographer in Hollywood who produced the film in question, was instrumental in securing Jigga’s participation on the track.

Once again going back to Nipsey Hussle’s vocals, this was from a song that he originally recorded circa 2013. It was actually a collaboration with a relatively-unknown rapper from Mississippi, Tito Lopez. And basically what transpired is that they cut Tito’s verse out and replaced it with that of Jay-Z’s.

The producers of this song are 1500 or Nothin’ – with a special, individual emphasis being placed on group members Rance and My Guy Mars. In producing the song, they worked alongside a couple of homeys who are also from L.A. called Mike & Keys.

Meanwhile Rance, My Guy Mars and Mike & Keys (Michael Ray Cox Jr. and John Groover) are also credited as the song’s co-writers. They did so in conjunction with Jay-Z, Nipsey and Quintin Gulledge. Also interesting to note is that songstress H.E.R. provides background vocals to the tune.