On Tuesday, DJ Khaled posted a heartfelt letter to social media, revealing that he was planning the release of a new song and video featuring John Legend and the late rapper Nipsey Hussle. Khaled called Hussle “an enlightened soul” and said that the rapper had been “vibrating on a higher level” than most other people. In the post, Khaled also revealed that all of the proceeds from the song would go to the benefit of Hussle’s children Emani and Kross. On Thursday night, Khaled debuted the video.
The video takes us to the sunny streets of Los Angeles. John Legend glides down a palm-tree-lined street playing the songs triumphant chorus on a baby grand piano. “You keep taking me higher and higher / Don’t you know that the devil is a liar? / They’d rather see me down put my soul in the fire / But we keep going higher higher. ” Hussle appears is regally dressed in a vibrant silk, blue shirt and matching blue trousers. He raps of the arduous journey both his parents had to navigate, and he reflects on how far he has come as a father and a man. “Emani turned 10, Kross turned two / I’m startin’ to see this life shit from a bird’s view.”
The song, with its message of continued growth and ascendance, is a fitting coda to Hussle’s prolific and impactful music career.
Father Of Asahd is out now via We The Best / Epic Records. Get it here.