Mahershala Ali Listened to Ka’s ‘Honor Killed the Samurai’ for New Hitman Role: ‘It Just Was the Right Vibe & Tone for This Guy’
Categoria: Musica
Ali plays a recently widowed father who also happens to be a devoutly religious hitman.
Por Billboard | 14/09/2026
Mahershala Ali was at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend at the premiere of his new movie Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother , in which he plays a devoutly religious hitman who just lost his wife and now finds himself on a journey to protect his children. ETalk caught up with him on the red carpet and asked what would be on a playlist for a single dad who just so happens to also be a hitman, and he revealed that he listened to the late Ka’s critically acclaimed fourth solo album in order to get ready for the role. “I listened to a lot of this album called Honor Killed the Samurai , which is by an artist named Ka,” he said. “And it just felt like it just was the right vibe and tone for this guy. Intentional, methodical, somewhat a slower pace and vibe, but it has a certain energy to it that’s very special. So I listened to that album quite a bit.” Ali and Ka were friends and the actor has been a big champion of the underrated rapper and producer, so much so that he would like to see a documentary based on his life . “There’s an artist that I love and admire that not enough people know enough about, a brother by the name of Ka,” he said after being asked if there was a hip-hop story that he wanted to see be told. “An extraordinary MC. Him and Roc Marciano , I think laid the groundwork for a really relevant underground sound that has had a wonderful life in the last like 12 years or so. So, I would like to see a documentary on Ka and his life. I know he’s an extraordinary man, he was a friend, New York City firefighter, an extraordinary MC, an amazing producer. I think the world needs to see that.” The Brooklyn rapper, whose full-time job was as a captain in the New York Fire Department and was a first responder during the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, tragically died in October 2024 at the young age of 52. You can hear a new verse of his on Navy Blue’s Sir Render . Written and directed by Bassam Tariq and also starring John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito and Tramell Tillman, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother hits theaters nationwide on Friday, Sept. 25