What It Feels Like

## Single by Nipsey Hussle and Jay-Z

"**What It Feels Like**" is a song by Nipsey Hussle and Jay-Z from the soundtrack to the 2021 biographical film, *Judas and the Black Messiah*. It is their first collaboration together, which was revealed on February 9, 2021, in promotion of the film. Nipsey's verse was penned in 2013, while Hov's verse was created for the film.

Keys lamented to *GQ*, "Nip always wanted a song with [Jay-Z]." While the late rapper wanted Jay-Z on "Rap N\*\*\*as," this never happened, as he believed "when the time comes, it'll happen."

## Background

The track remained in the archives for "almost eight years," where co-producer Mike of Mike & Keys revealed that Nipsey initially didn't like the song. Keys added, "When Nipsey says [on the song] 'Drop another mixtape, my shit booming out this bitch,' he was talking about *Crenshaw*." Larrance Dopson revealed that it was a 2013 beat, 2015 was when they added horns, and in 2017, they added the strings. A&R Matthew "M80" Markoff stated in concerns to licensing, "The [track] just provided my verse licensing business with the greatest form of validation the world has ever known. For those of you who don't know, the Nipsey verse is 8 years old and was a feature from a Tito Lopez record."

Not too long after the soundtrack's release, Lopez addressed online that the verse was made for one of his own songs. Mike & Keys clarified this situation to *HipHopDX*. Mike explained, "it was originally for the Mike & Keys album, so that was our personal song that we did with Nipsey, actually one of our first songs we did with Nipsey. This was 2012. To be honest with you, there are a lot of people who have verses on that beat. Tito wasn't the only person. There's like four or five other people who rapped on that beat. Like I said, that beat is from 2012. Tito was trying to get on the song because Nipsey was on it from the jump, but that was never his song. If he did a version to it, we never had it or heard it." He added, "Tito had an original hook in there, but we took it out. He was not part of the record. No disrespect, he's our friend, but he has nothing to do with what we created. We've been holding on to this for a long time for a reason. We always want to be known for actually making it happen."

## Critical reception

*Pitchfork* critiqued, "JAY-Z's acerbic bars on the Capitol Riot are jolting. But they soon lose credibility when backed up by tired motifs of opulence and braggadocio from the former's 'condos in different time zones' to the latter claiming himself as a 'black messiah' despite his open embrace of capitalism. A newly released Nipsey verse might've saved 'What It Feels Like' were it not eight years old and obviously unrelated to the project." *The New York Times* wrote, "The song warns that success turns Blacks into targets [...] to the inadequate police response to the insurrection on Jan. 6..." and described the song as a combination of "memorial and news flash." *RapReviews.com* summarized in their review, "the late Nipsey Hussle tells us the reality of being a Black man in America with an assist from Jay-Z..."

## Gallery

* Trailer
* BTS

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Chorus: Nipsey Hussle]

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

[Verse 1: Nipsey Hussle]

Look, the only reason I survive 'cause a n\*\*\*a is special, first

You get successful, then it get stressful, thirst

N\*\*\*as gon' test you, see what your texture's worth

Diamonds and pipes, one of 'em pressure bursts

Street n\*\*\*a, still I get checks, in spurts

I'm for peace, but before I get pressed, I murk

Better days pray for but expectin' worse

At this level, bullshit, I'm just less concerned

Cruisin' in the 6, lookin' at the proceeds of rap music on my wrist

Drop another mixtape, my shit boomin' out this bitch

Young Malcolm, I'm the leader of the movement out this bitch, look

And this is what it feels like (Feels like)

Reach a level, make you question, "Is it real life?"

All the weed good, all the pussy real tight

And the only rule, keep your dollar bills right

[Chorus: Nipsey Hussle]

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

[Verse 2: JAY-Z]

Scorpion bricks, way before Aubrey's double disc

.40 on my lap, clap, sound like 40 did the mix

Filtered bass, sift coke like a Michelin star chef

Chef kiss to my wrist, I go dummy with my left

IRS on my dick try to audit all my checks, too late

You know they hate when you become more than they expect

You let them crackers storm your Capitol, put they feet up on your desk

And yet you talkin' tough to me, I lost all my little respect

I'm sellin' weed in the open, bringin' folks home from the feds

I know that payback's gon' be mean, I'm savin' all my little bread

Pray for me, y'all, one day I'ma have to pay for these thoughts

Real n\*\*\*as is extinct, it ain't safe for me, my dawg

They killin' n\*\*\*as in they own hoods, that make sense to you at all?

You burnt your bridge to the other side, you know you can't swim across

Y'all know n\*\*\*as can't swim, they fried Mike after he died

Y'all know n\*\*\*as can't win, you never land, all jokes aside

I arrived on the day Fred Hampton got mur—, hol' up

Assassinated, just to clarify further

What y'all gave birth is the chairman mixed with Jeff Fort

Big stepper on that jet with my legs crossed (Uh, uh)

Black stones on my neck, y'all can't kill Christ (Uh)

Black messiah is what I feel like (Woo)

Shit ain't gonna stop 'cause y'all spilled blood

We gon' turn up even more since y'all kill cuz'

[Chorus: Nipsey Hussle]

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

[Outro: Nipsey Hussle]

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like, as it fuckin' should)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like, feels so fuckin' good)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like, feels so fuckin' good)

And this is what it feels like (Feels like, feels like)

What it feels like

## References

1. ↑ Ihaza, Jeff and Ehrlich, Brenna (Feburary 12, 2021). "Listen to Jay-Z's Collaboration With the Late Nipsey Hussle: 'What It Feels Like'". *Rolling Stone*.
2. ↑ "Judas and the Black Messiah (@JATBMFilm)". *Twitter*. February 9, 2021.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Eustice, Kyle (February 14, 2021). "Nipsey Hussle's Verse for Jay-Z Collab 'What It Feels Like' Is Actually 8 Years Old". *HipHopDX"'.*
4. ↑ Tharpe, Frazier (February 12, 2021). "How Jay-Z and Nipsey Hussle Finally Came Together for a Classic Track". *GQ*.
5. ↑ Eustice, Kyle (February 18, 2021). "Nipsey Hussle Producers Mike & Keys Set the Record Straight Over Tito Lopez's 'What It Feels Like' Claim". *HipHopDX*.
6. ↑ Kariisa, Jessica (February 18, 2021). "*Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album* by Various Artists". *Pitchfork*.
7. ↑ Pareles, Jon (February 24, 2021). "History Meets the Present on the 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Album". *The New York Times*.
8. ↑ "Judas and the Black Messiah :: The Inspired Soundtrack". *RapReviews.com*. July 13, 2021.