Jussie Smollett Raps About Court Battle on New Track "Thank You God"

After being released from Cook County Jail following a court appeal in March, on Saturday, Jussie Smollett released new song "Thank You God."

Empire might be over, but the cancelled series hasn't Jussie Smollett from hitting the studio. On Saturday, the actor released new R&B track "Thank You God" in reference to his recent court battle. On Instagram, Smollett wrote that all profits from the single will be donated to social justice organizations Rainbow Push Coalition, Secure the Bag Safety, and Illinois Innocence Project.

Lyrics from "Thank You God" allude to his 2019 Chicago arrest, where the actor was accused of staging a hate crime.

“It’s like they’re hell-bent on not solving the crime/ Taking out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight taking lives/ But turn around and act like I’m the one that killed the strides,” Smollett raps. Later, he adds: “I can’t be mad/ Take my ego out/ Some people searching for fame / Some people chasing that clout / Just remember this, this ain’t that situation / You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?”

In January 2019, Smollett notified Chicago police that he was attacked by two white men in ski masks who approached him on the street. The actor claims that he was assaulted with a rope and bleach, by the men who allegedly hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him. After an investigation, evidence came out that the incident was a hoax, as testified by two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who said that Smollett hired them to fake the attack.

After being sentenced to 150 days in Cook County Jail in early-March, the actor was released after six nights when the appeals court agreed with lawyers that he should be released pending the appeal of his conviction.