Michael “Killer Mike” Render dropped his latest song and music video for “Run,” his first solo record in ten years.
The powerful new track features a verse by jailed rapper Young Thug, while the video opens with a monologue by Dave Chappelle.
Chappelle’s speech reads in part, “Mike, the one thing about being a n***a in America, it’s like storming the beach in Normandy. A guy gets popped, another guy goes, another guy falls. You just gotta keep going, gotta keep storming that beach n***a. You gotta keep runnin.'”
The war-themed video sees Mike on a battlefield where Black soldiers fight for freedom against their white oppressors. Mike told Complex of the race-based song’s release on July 4, “There would be no Fourth of July without a Black man, and the fact that Crispus Attucks was the first person to die on the behalf of what would become the republic called America.” He continued, “When people argue about [Critical Race Theory] and stuff like that, they’re arguing over something that you learn in law school, post-undergrad, and how systems have been formed to oppress you.”
The No I.D.-produced track also references the ongoing legal battle Young Thug and Gunna face and the controversial debate of whether rap lyrics should be used as evidence in court.
“I don’t think that’s fair,” Mike told Complex. “People should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that’s not only for Thug and Gunna, but someone who is presumed to be in opposition, as well, like YFN Lucci.“
“I think we have a First Amendment right, and I think it should be hands-off Black art, so I support those brothers and their campaign to get a bond and get free,” he said.
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