It’s been over a decade since Killer Mike released a solo track, but this weekend he came back in a big way, dropping the video for “Run,” a powerful track and video with a political message that featured an intro by Dave Chappelle with a guest verse by Young Thug.
The video, directed by Adrian Villagomez, centers around key American historical battles, but reframing them as key moments in black history and the fight for freedom. The video shows Killer Mike on historical battlefields, but as the leader a battalion of Black and allied people who are fighting enemies including Nazis, secessionists, and confederate soldiers. The intro by Dave Chappelle references his “Normandy” monologue.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Killer Mike described the inspiration for the song and video as such: “If you’re looking at this video, certain things are gonna stand out: Obviously, there’s a war going on for people who want justice and righteousness, and there’s a war that’s symbolized by what you would notice is old Confederate uniforms and Nazi-like uniforms,” adding that he included the Chappelle monologue clip because he was “inspired by the monologue that Dave Chappelle did at the beginning — to be representative that there’s a fight, the spiritual fight, that is going on every single day with us.”
In addition to historical references, the video also calls for the release of Young Thug and Gunna during Young Thug’s verse. In the video, a soldier can be seen waving a white flag with “Free Thug, Protect Black Art, Free Gunna” written on it while another scene shows a soldier wearing a white arm band that says “Free YSL.” (YSL Records rappers Young Thug and Gunna are both currently in jail as part of a 56-count RICO case.)
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