Nipsey Hussle and Swizz Beatz Connect for Triumphant New Song “Been Down”

Just about one month after aligning himself with Atlantic Records, Nipsey Hussle returns with "Been Down," a triumphant Swizz Beatz-assisted track that finds both artists celebrating the rewards of staying true. Nipsey's verse sounds like a victory lap, which uncoincidentally, is the title of his forthcoming debut album.

"Yeah, it's a moment this special/This what happens stay down game bless you/This what happens don't fold the game test you/If you pass it you gone they can't catch you," Nipsey spits on the opening bars of the track. Swizz Beatz serves up the intro and outro.

If you've followed the rapper's career up to this point, you already know he's always been about independence and making it on his own terms. That's a point he made emphatically with Proud 2 Pay, a movement that saw him sell 1,000 copies of his Crenshaw project for $100 each. Speaking with XXL a little while back, Nipsey, whose All Money In label now has the power of Atlantic behind it, said that campaign will continue under the major label.

"The Proud 2 Pay thing, we're going to keep that up," the 32-year-old rhymer said at the time. "It's going to be outside the traditional platforms [but] it be available everywhere traditional. Proud 2 Pay, that's something that distinguishes me, that's something that defines me and we're going to keep that going. Really more than anything, that's for the fans that support it. We're going to keep doing special things for them, give them products that are only available to them."

Listen to "Been Down" for yourself below. Cop the song on iTunes. 

See New Music Releases for December 2017