Ankhal Reenacts Harrowing Shooting and Says He’s Back to Fulfill His Purpose in Powerful Video for ‘Nazareno Remix’ With Farruko

After spending months in the hospital, the Puerto Rican rapper Ankhal has returned to music and is finally addressing a harrowing shooting that left him seriously wounded through an intense music video for the remix of “Nazareno,” a song Farruko released earlier this year. The visuals are intense and powerful, playing out in vivid detail the events that left the 22-year-old artist fighting for his life.

The video starts with news footage that came out after the shooting: Anchors and news hosts recount how Ankhal was approached by two people wearing black hoods, who shot him and a friend at point-blank range. It also sheds light on Farruko’s reaction, quoting a post he wrote on Instagram where he said Ankhal — who he signed to his label Carbon Fiber Music — was like a son to him. Several scenes show Ankhal riding in an ambulance and receiving medical attention.

In his verse, Ankhal shares exactly what happened: He raps that he was deep in the streets with gangsters and didn’t realize there was a traitor in his circle. “A Judas eating at my own table/Fake friends/They sell you and serve you on a platter,” he says in the song. He then shares that the shooting happened when he was on his way to the studio with his friends and that he didn’t know his destiny when it happened. “I came back to achieve the purpose the Messiah has for me,” he raps.

Farruko, who won four Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday, brought Ankhal with him during an emotional performance at the awards ceremony. They both nodded to what had happened to Ankhal through effects and choreography, and then Ankhal joined Farruko in a wheelchair, where he delivered his part of the song before a crowd of fans. It was a showstopping moment that highlighted how Ankhal has persevered despite all the trials he’s been through. Farruko continued with a rendition of his song “Viaje.”

Farruko released the original version of “Nazareno” in May, along with a video that shows how dangerous fame can be. The song fits into a new spiritual journey he started after sharing that he was moving away from the message in his old music — including his hit “Pepas” — and embracing more positive, uplifting lyrics. He joined his Carbon Fiber signee Akim for the song “Luz” in June.