Jay Z, Rihanna & E S Posthumus Run This Town... Apr 2026

Released in 2009 as the second single from Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint 3 , "Run This Town" stands as a monumental collision of hip-hop royalty and cinematic orchestration. Featuring Rihanna and Kanye West, the track is defined by its dark, triumphant energy and its high-concept music video. However, the song’s unique sonic identity is fundamentally rooted in a deep-tissue sample of "Posthumus Zone" by the musical group E.S. Posthumus. This collaboration of talent and sampling created a cultural anthem that remains a benchmark for stadium-status hip-hop.

The visual representation of the song, directed by Anthony Mandler, further solidified its legacy. The music video features a post-apocalyptic, subterranean world where the trio leads a torch-bearing mob. This imagery, combined with the E.S. Posthumus sample, creates a feeling of a "civilized" uprising. The video avoids the typical tropes of wealth and luxury, opting instead for a gritty, militant look that suggests power is about influence and unity rather than just material gains. Jay Z, Rihanna & E S Posthumus Run This Town...

In conclusion, "Run This Town" is a rare example of a commercial hit that maintains a complex, avant-garde core. The inclusion of E.S. Posthumus provided a cinematic scale that allowed Jay-Z and Rihanna to project a sense of ultimate authority. It remains a definitive moment in late-2000s music, proving that when hip-hop borrows from the world of orchestral "epic" music, the result can be a timeless anthem of power and prestige. Released in 2009 as the second single from

Rihanna provides the song's melodic and ideological anchor. Her vocal performance on the hook is both haunting and assertive, acting as a clarion call for a new era of dominance. Coming off the success of Good Girl Gone Bad , her presence on the track signaled her transition into a more mature, edgy persona. She doesn't just sing the chorus; she commands it, embodying the "rebel" aesthetic that the song and its accompanying music video project. Her delivery transforms the track from a standard rap boast into a revolutionary anthem. Posthumus