The duo of Killer Mike and El-P team with director Chris Hopewell for a stop-motion segment that pits our heroes against a authoritarian force that controls a population of toys with an iron fist.
Run the Jewels have again teamed with director Chris Hopewell for the final visual from their 2020 triumph of RTJ4.
Having previously directed the team’s “Don’t Get Captured” from their RTJ3 album, Killer Mike and EL-P entrusted the filmmaker with the video for their track, “Walking In the Snow”.
The visual depicts our duo as action-figure heroes that have pitted against an authoritarian force that control a population of toys in a bedroom city with violence and fear. Connecting with a secret contingent of resistance, Mike and P work to dismantle the corrupt leaders and return power to the people of Bedroom City.
While the visual utilizes levity to present some very real social commentary, the reality of lyrics have resonated all too well considering the climate of 2020.
“It was great to work with the RTJ guys again,” states Hopewell. “Everyone was very aware of the gravity of the subject matter and RTJ didn’t want to be too obvious or on the nail with the visuals, so we went with an 80’s style fantasy look with evil snow warriors and their icy king oppressing the bedroom toys. It was great to be involved with a project with a positive vibe to end a pretty fucked up year. Big thanks to the RTJ crew for their truth and for letting us work with their amazing music once again.”
The release of “Walking In The Snow” punctuates an incredible year for Run The Jewels. In addition to their universally-lauded album RTJ4, the tandem successfully executed their streaming voter registration event with a stellar performance for their Holy CalamaVote broadcast on Adult Swim. They also functioned as a integral part of the Cyberpunk 2077 launch, as a mainstay of the game’s soundtrack as well as a special merchandise launch that included their craft beer initiative.
Touting numerous accolades, countless inclusions on ‘best of’ and ‘end of year lists,’ while remaining an important voice of reason during a year of unprecedented social strife, Run the Jewels have emphatically established their rank as one of music’s most important cultural contributors.
Watch their final video for 2020 with “Walking In the Snow”.
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