Run the Jewels have released a new animated lyric video for “Ju$t,” their collaboration with Pharrell and Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha, from the hip-hop duo’s latest album, RTJ4.
The clip was helmed by Winston Hacking of Pulse Films, who crafted an arresting moving collage that complements and expands upon the song’s depiction of racism’s deep roots in American capitalism. “I worked closely with Run the Jewels to create a satirical time-capsule of 2020 thus far, capturing the sentiment of their song using collage animation,” Hacking said in a statement. “Drawing on the influence of Public Enemy’s classic ‘Shut ‘Em Down’ video, we combined cut up images from contemporary and historical events into a psychedelic protest vignette, a visual fuck you to systemic racism.”
Along with releasing the “Ju$t” video, Run the Jewels announced a new foray into the marijuana business, partnering with the cannabis producer Lemonnade to create a new strain dubbed, “Ooh La Lah,” after another song on RTJ4. The Sativa-Indica hybrid will be available in Cookies dispensaries in California and Michigan, before arriving in other states later this year.
Run the Jewels released RTJ4 in June, dropping it for free on their website ahead of its official release, while also encouraging fans to donate to the National Lawyer Guild (the duo has so far raised over $170,000 for the organization). Run the Jewels was supposed to open for Rage Against the Machine on their 2020 reunion tour, although those dates were rescheduled for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
