| "Run This Town" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byJay-Z featuringRihanna andKanye West | ||||
| from the albumThe Blueprint 3 | ||||
| Released | August 9, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producers |
| |||
| Jay-Z singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Rihanna singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Run This Town" onYouTube | ||||
"Run This Town" is a song by American rapperJay-Z featuring Barbadian singerRihanna and fellow American rapperKanye West. Released on July 24, 2009, it was written by the artists alongside Athanasios Alatas,Jeff Bhasker, andNo I.D., the latter producing it with West.[1] "Run This Town" was released as the second single from Jay-Z's eleventh studio album,The Blueprint 3.
The song was a commercial success, reaching number 2 on theBillboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in the United Kingdom. It additionally made top ten chartings in ten other countries including in Australia, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
"Run This Town" wonBest Rap Song andBest Rap/Sung Collaboration at the52nd Annual Grammy Awards. The song's accompanying music video, directed byAnthony Mandler, depicts the trio in apost-apocalyptic environment, featuring scenes involving angry protesters surrounding them. "Run This Town" was performed by Jay-Z, West, and Rihanna on the series premiere ofThe Jay Leno Show in the United States.[2][3]
"Run This Town" is the second official single from the albumThe Blueprint 3. "Off That" featuringDrake was originally planned to be the next single but "Run This Town" was decided upon instead. Jay-Z confirmed the release in an interview withTim Westwood, saying, "We basically run this town. It's myself, Rihanna and Kanye. It's pretty much it."[4] In an interview withSound on Sound,Young Guru explained how Kanye West came to be featured on the song:
"The song was originally intended to feature just Jay and Rihanna, but he also wanted Kanye on it, because he felt that it would fit the texture of the song. So one day when Kanye was in New York, he came in at 10am and in two takes he was done.”[5]
The song made its radio debut on July 24, 2009, at 9:11 am to coincide with the album's release date, September 11, 2009.[6] "Run This Town" was officially released tourban radios in the United States on August 9, 2009[7] and was released viaiTunes worldwide two days later on August 11. The CD single release followed on August 31, 2009, in the UK.[8] Rihanna's contribution was her first musical appearance following her February 8 altercation with her ex-boyfriendChris Brown earlier that year.[9]
"Run This Town" received mixed reviews from music critics. Following the leak of the song, Tom Breihan,Pitchfork gave a positive review. "The new Jay-Z/Rihanna/Kanye West track from 'The Blueprint 3', leaked this morning, and it bangs. Jay's 'D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)' left the impression that The Blueprint 3 might be a cantankerous grumpy-old-man rap album, but 'Run This Town' totally obliterates that. Thanks to a molten motivational Rihanna chorus, it's pop-friendly as hell, without compromising Jay's fundamental hardness. And Jay is actually rapping like he cares, something he's only done intermittently over the last few years. Still, Kanye gets the hottest line on the song: 'What you think I rap for, to push a fuckin' RAV 4?'"[10] Following the album's release, Pitchfork made another review of the song, again praising the track. "There's something for everybody: Jay [-Z] sounds engaged in a way he rarely has since unretiring,Rihanna coos those "ay ay"s the radio loves, and Kanye West, as you may have read, once again upstages the guy he's producing. Rihanna's hook may not be Auto-Tune'd, but it's definitely autopilot."[11]
About.com felt that Jay-Z lacked presence, writing, "It looks like someone finally got tired of being bullied by 'Big Brother'. Roc Nation dropped the ball on the song credit though; it was supposed to read 'Kanye West Featuring Rihanna,' because 'Ye murdered Jay on his own track. But that's not saying much because Jay was running this race on one foot. In other words, Kanye didn't win, Jay lost".[12]Digital Spy gave a mixed review of the song. "Boasting three of the biggest stars from the worlds of hip-hop and R&B, 'Run This Town' was never going to be a flop, but neither is it a roaring success. Kanye's slick rapping ("Reebok baby, you need to try some new things, have you ever had shoes without shoestrings?") and Rihanna's "hey-hey" chorus hook make Jay-Z seem surplus to requirements, which surely can't have been the aim. The chaotic military march beats are impressive – and hats off to Jigga for snubbing Auto-Tune – but this track still doesn't seem fitting of an artist considered a groundbreaking rap legend.[13]
Most notably, "Run This Town" was nominated forBest Rap Song andBest Rap/Sung Collaboration at the52nd Grammy Awards in 2010. It eventually won both awards, marking Jay-Z's tenth and Rihanna's third and Kanye West's fourteenth win at the ceremony awards in total. The song also managed to win anEmmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition/Direction/Lyrics, duringSuper Bowl XLIV.[14]
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 52nd Grammy Awards[15] | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Won |
| Best Rap Song | Won | ||
| 2010 | BET Hip Hop Awards[16] | Best Hip-Hop Video | Nominated |
| 2010 | International Dance Music Awards[17] | Best Hip-Hop Dance Track | Nominated |
| 2010 | People's Choice Awards[18] | Favourite Music Collaboration | Won |
| 2011 | Black Reel Awards[19] | Best Original or Adapted Song | Nominated |
"Run This Town" entered theBillboard Hot 100 at number 88. Following its digital release and debut at number three on theDigital Songs chart, it soared from number 66 to three in its third week on the Hot 100 for the week ending August 16, 2009.[20] The song eventually peaked at number two, marking Jay-Z's second-highest-charting song of his career as a lead artist. "Run This Town" reached number one on theRap Songs chart on the date issued September 26, 2009, climbing from number four the previous week.[21] It remained atop the chart for seven consecutive weeks.[22] It also made an appearance on theR&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number three.[22] Despite its genre of hip hop and R&B, the song managed to debut at number 38 on thePop Songs chart on the issue dated September 12, 2009.[23] It eventually reached the top ten at number eight.[24] "Run This Town" additionally peaked at numbers two and three on theRadio Songs andDigital Songs charts.[24] The song sold 2 million in paid downloads by early January 2010.[25] "Run This Town" reached 3 million in digital sales in May 2012, becoming the third 3-million seller for Jay-Z, the sixth for West and a record ninth for Rihanna.[26]
In Australia, "Run This Town" entered theAustralian Singles Chart at number 35 on September 6, 2009. The following week it fell to number 39 but rebounded to a new peak of 25 in its third week. It reached the top ten of the chart on October 11, 2009, and made its peak of number nine in its seventh week.[27] It has been certified Platinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association, denoting shipments of 70,000 copies.[28]
In New Zealand, "Run This Town" debuted at number fourteen on theNew Zealand Singles Chart on September 14, 2009, climbing to number ten the following week. In its third week, it fell to number thirteen but regained its peak position for the three weeks after. In its seventh total week on the chart, it made a new peak of number nine.[29] It has received a Gold certification from theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand, for sales of 7,500 copies.[30]
In Canada, the song peaked at number six on theCanadian Hot 100.[31]
In the United Kingdom, "Run This Town" entered at number one on theUK Singles Chart on September 6, 2009 ― for the week ending date September 12, 2009 ― with sales of 62,000 copies.[32] The feat gave Jay-Z his first number one single in Britain as a lead artist and fourth overall, following his feature on Rihanna's "Umbrella" (2007) and his wifeBeyoncé's "Déjà Vu" (2006) and "Crazy in Love" (2003). It marked the third number one singles in that country for both Rihanna and Kanye West. For Rihanna, "Run This Town" gave her number ones on the chart in three consecutive years, following "Take a Bow" (2008) and "Umbrella"[33] and followed West's chart leaders "American Boy" featuringEstelle (2008) and "Stronger" (2007).[34][35]
Throughout the rest of Europe, the song also performed well, reaching the top five in Ireland[36] and Norway[37] and the top ten in the Czech Republic,[38] Sweden[39] and Switzerland.[40] It also reached the top twenty in Denmark[41] and Germany,[42] top thirty in Hungary and top forty in France.
The video for "Run This Town" was directed byAnthony Mandler and was filmed on August 6, 2009, atFort Totten Park inNew York City. Mandler explained the production behind the video saying:
"There's a tone and feeling to the song, there's a militia, a march and a kind of rambunctious energy to it that, for me, I immediately wanted to tap into. I showed [Jay] some references from the classic rebellious zones of the world. We live in very orderly society in America, but when you get into Brazil, you get into the Middle East, you get into Africa, you get into Eastern Europe, when you get into places like that, there's a different sort of 'we run this town' [going on]. There's less order and more chaos. So we looked at a lot of those references, new photos and historical photos, to capture that kind of falling-apart feeling." "We wanted you to feel uneasy throughout the piece," he said. "We wanted there to be a constant layer of tension through the piece. Even in the way I shot — where the camera comes by Jay, it doesn't stop on him, it goes to Rihanna — there's kind of this chaos of revealing and covering and concealing. And things happen offscreen that you don't see. I think people are really gonna flip on this".
The video was leaked on August 19, 2009, byMTV Germany. It premiered officially on August 20 onMTV, as well other MTV channels across the world. The video was released to iTunes on August 25, 2009.
The music video involves crowds of protesters in masks, holding torches whilst walking. Rihanna takes a bandanna from covering her mouth and performs the intro of the song in a park area with explosions firing around her. Jay-Z then begins the second verse while in a temple-like area. Kanye West sings his verse in a cave-like area holding a torch and having a bandanna cover his face like Jay-Z and Rihanna. Throughout the video, the trio are on a stage platform with the mob of protesters previously shown surrounding them.
Daniel Kreps ofRolling Stone called the video, "a civilization that takes Jigga's lyrical motif of 'all black everything' very seriously." He further added, "When we first heard 'Run This Town', we pictured Jay-Z and his posse staging a siege onManhattan, or at least going to all the VIP spots most civilians only dream about like in the "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)" video. Instead, we're introduced to aMad Max-like landscape full of proto-biker gear, torches, face scarves and bombed-out buildings. Jay-Z and his gang of ruffians actually look like they're on a mission to slay Auto-Tune. Also, according to the video, Rihanna is the only female to survive the apocalypse, and West's verse aboutReeboks,Rav4s and girls with two bee stings seem starkly out of place in the dismal future."[43] It ranked at number eleven onBET'sNotarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.
"Run this Town" has been used in the video gamesNBA 2K13 andNBA 2K26.[44] The song was featured in the teaser trailer for 2013 video gameBattlefield 4 and the trailer for the 2022 movieThe 355. It was to be included in coverage ofThursday Night Football onCBS and theNFL Network in 2014, however, it was pulled from the opening segment in the first broadcast in the wake of a domestic violence controversy involving NFL playerRay Rice.[45][46] After Rihanna took toTwitter to complain, the song was removed from further games.[47] The song was performed at the closing ceremony at the2012 Summer Paralympics inLondon with British rock bandColdplay and Rihanna. Rihanna performed the song as part of her set during thehalftime show ofSuper Bowl LVII.
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[28] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[89] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[90] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[91] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[92] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[93] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[94] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[95] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | July 24, 2009 | Radio premiere | Atlantic Records |
| United States[7] | August 9, 2009 | Urban radio | |
| Australia[96] | August 10, 2009 | Digital download | |
| Austria[97] | |||
| Belgium[98] | |||
| Brazil[99] | |||
| Canada[100] | |||
| Denmark[101] | |||
| Finland[102] | |||
| France[103] | |||
| Germany[104] | |||
| Ireland[105] | |||
| Italy[106] | |||
| Mexico[107] | |||
| Netherlands[108] | |||
| New Zealand[109] | |||
| Norway[110] | |||
| Sweden[111] | |||
| Switzerland[112] | |||
| United Kingdom[113] | |||
| United States[114] | |||
| United Kingdom[8] | August 31, 2009 | CD single | |
| Germany[115] | September 9, 2009 |
| Reasonable Doubt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 | |||
| Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life | |||
| Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter | |||
| The Dynasty: Roc La Familia | |||
| The Blueprint | |||
| The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse | |||
| The Black Album | |||
| Unfinished Business (withR. Kelly) | |||
| Kingdom Come | |||
| American Gangster | |||
| The Blueprint 3 | |||
| Watch the Throne (withKanye West) |
| ||
| Magna Carta Holy Grail | |||
| 4:44 | |||
| Other songs | |||
| Featured songs |
| ||
Rihanna songs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Music of the Sun | |||
| A Girl Like Me |
| ||
| Good Girl Gone Bad |
| ||
| Rated R | |||
| Loud | |||
| Talk That Talk | |||
| Unapologetic | |||
| Anti | |||
| Soundtrack songs |
| ||
| Collaborations |
| ||
| Other songs | |||
Kanye West songs | |
|---|---|
| 2000s singles | |
| 2010s singles | |
| 2020s singles | |
| Other singles | |
| Featured singles |
|
| Promotional singles |
|
| 2000s songs |
|
| 2010s songs |
|
| 2020s songs |
|
| Featured songs |
|
| Unreleased songs | |
