The award-winning film Judas and the Black Messiah hit theatres and HBO Max earlier this year to vast critical acclaim, but in addition to the hype surrounding the Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield-starring film, Judas and the Black Messiah's soundtrack arrived to just as much fanfare. The stacked album featured artists such as Jay-Z, Nipsey Hussle, J.I.D., Smino, H.E.R., and G Herbo, yet the Nas and Hit-Boy collaboration "EPMD" remains as one of the standout tracks. Today, the Grammy-winning duo returns to unleash its stunning new music video.
The video starts with an artistic intro that appears to draw inspiration from the likes of Black filmmakers such as Spike Lee and Jordan Peele, as the opening sequence features a dramatic orchestral arrangement while powerful pro-Black messages appear on the screen. "Reclaim our cultural ownership," "Don't compromise," "Don't cross over," and "Respect to the kings, Love to the queens," all flash on the screen before a young woman is seen screaming "Wake Up!," School Daze-style.
From that point on, the music video fully begins, as the hard-hitting beat for "EPMD" starts to roll in. Throughout the video, Nas and Hit-Boy recreate looks from classic EMPD — the veteran Hip-Hop duo that the song's hook is based on — album covers, including 1989's Unfinished Business and 1992's Business Never Personal.
In addition to the references to EPMD, Nas and Hit-Boy's new music video boasts a bevy of beautifully shot scenes, making for an incredible visual offering from the unstoppable duo and serving as yet another victory lap for the recent Grammy winners.
Scroll back up to the top and check out the loaded visuals for Nas and Hit-Boy's Judas and the Black Messiah soundtrack collaboration "EPMD."