Over recent times, there’s been an outstanding amount of hype and anticipation surrounding the release of Fred Hampton’s biopic film Judas and the Black Messiah. Detailing the life leading to the tragic demise of the Illinois Black Panther Party leader in 1969, Judas and the Black Messiah will no doubt be one of the biggest movie releases of the year (if not the biggest). Of course, a notorious motion picture of this nature can’t go without a soundtrack, so we are fortunate enough to have such an inspiring and dope album to add to the film’s aura. With the film released today in theaters and HBO Max, Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album has surfaced.

Off the rip, you know the album is fire from top to bottom — simply because it’s executive produced by the living legend Hit-Boy. While many might see this and think “oh this is enough. He’s got it!,” he’s accompanied by a few other prominent figures in the entertainment industry — Ryan Coogler (director-writer), Dash Sherrod (Interscope’s VP of A&R), and Archie Davis (RCA Records SVP of Marketing).

Collectively, they all managed to orchestrate a phenomenal tracklist for the film’s soundtrack. Of course since the late Fred Hampton was a Chicago representer, it was only right to feature a number of artists from the land — Lil Durk, G Herbo, Bump J, BJ The Chicago Kid, Polo G, and Saba. Other big names to make a contribution include Nas, Rakim, H.E.R., and many more. One highlight, however, is certainly JAY-Z’s collab record “What It Feels Like” with the late Nipsey Hussle.

While the tracklist is top-tier, the soundtrack was unfortunately short one Chicago artist — Noname. She explained to a fan on Twitter why she chose not to contribute to the album (see tweets below):

Though it would have been amazing for Noname to have been apart of it, her reasoning for declining is well respected. Check out the soundtrack below and let us know your thoughts.