Key Takeaways
- Mahershala Ali says Ka’s 2016 album Honor Killed the Samurai helped shape the “intentional, methodical” energy of his hitman character Latif in ‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.’
- Ali plays a devout Muslim widower who follows a strict no-guns code while protecting his three children in Bassam Tariq’s Houston-set film.
- The film opens in select U.S. theaters September 25 before expanding nationwide October 9, with John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Tramell Tillman, and Tiffany Boone also starring.
Mahershala Ali is crediting a late Brooklyn rapper's revered LP with helping him find his newest character.
On Saturday, the 52-year-old Oscar winner spoke with CTV’s etalk on the red carpet of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival ahead of the premiere of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
When asked what would be on the playlist for his character Latif, a single father and hitman, Ali pointed to one 2016 album in particular.
“I listened to a lot of this album called Honor Killed the Samurai which is by an artist named Ka, and it just felt like it just was the right vibe and tone for this guy: intentional, methodical, somewhat a slower pace and vibe,” Ali answered. “But it has certain energy to it that's very special. So I listen to that album quite a bit.”
In the Bassam Tariq film, Ali plays Latif, a devoutly religious Muslim hitman who keeps to a strict no-guns code while trying to protect his three children in Houston after the death of his wife.
The late rapper (born Kaseem Ryan) built Honor Killed the Samurai around samples pulled from samurai films, and the subject matter is steeped in the same ideas.
“Ka treats the New York street toughs in his rhymes like samurai warriors trying to adhere to a system of honor,” one critic wrote.
The Brownsville rapper produced all 10 tracks himself and released it through his own Iron Works Records in August 2016. He passed away in 2024 at age 52.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother opens in select U.S. theaters on September 25 before expanding nationwide on October 9. The film’s cast also includes John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Tramell Tillman, and Tiffany Boone, with a score from Son Lux.
