Chicago rapper Noname has gained musical popularity for her smooth conscious rap lyrics. Over time, she’s also been outspoken about her radical political views. So it came as a surprise to fans when her name went missing from the soundtrack to the Shaka King directed movie about Fred Hampton’s murder in the upcoming film “Judas and the Black Messiah.”
When folks online began asking Noname, who was born Fatimah Nyeema Warner, why she wasn’t asked to be on the project given that she’s often promoted her fellow Chicago native’s revolutionary philosophy, the 29-year-old had an interesting explanation.
“I hope people actually go study fred hampton’s analysis on u.s imperialism and fascism beyond just seeing a movie,” she wrote on Twitter in a now-deleted post. “Most of his politics were stripped from that film,” she continued.
Following the post, one person took the occasion to try to diss the rapper, claiming that her statement was seemingly the reason why she wasn’t offered a spot on the project, to which the rapper replied, “what’s crazy is they asked.” She added: “i was supposed to be on the song with saba and smi but after seeing the movie I decided to pass.”
Seemingly disappointed, one fan questioned whether the movie was still worth watching. She wrote, “it was shot beautifully, the acting was amazing. but it’s a movie about an informant,” the rapper responded. She added, “fred is secondary and his radical communist politics are centered, at all.”
Noname has been consistent in expressing her views on social justice and has even voiced her opinions on abolishing police departments altogether, following the May 2020 death of George Floyd of Minneapolis. And given Hampton’s views on capitalism, he would’ve presumably agreed with Noname’s choice to remove herself from the lineup.
However, despite the rapper’s views on the film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” was never promoted as a biopic on the life of Hampton, played by Daniel Kaluuya. Instead, it was an explanation as to how FBI informant William O’Neal, portrayed by Lakeith Stanfield, helped authorities infiltrate the Illinois Black Panther Party, which ultimately led to the death of their leader Hampton. Still, this choice seemed to be a deal breaker for the artist.
“Judas And The Black Messiah” premieres in theaters and exclusively on HBO Max on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.
