Run This Town

"Run This Town"
Single by Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and Kanye West
from the album The Blueprint 3
ReleasedAugust 9, 2009
Recorded2009
Studio
GenreRap rock
Length
  • 4:27 (album version)
  • 4:34 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
(2009)
"Run This Town"
(2009)
"Empire State of Mind"
(2009)
Rihanna singles chronology
"Rehab"
(2008)
"Run This Town"
(2009)
"Russian Roulette"
(2009)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Supernova"
(2009)
"Run This Town"
(2009)
"Forever"
(2009)
Music video
"Run This Town" on YouTube

"Run This Town" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna and fellow American rapper Kanye West. Released on July 24, 2009, it was written by the artists alongside Athanasios Alatas, Jeff Bhasker, and No 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 the Billboard 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" won Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. The song's accompanying music video, directed by Anthony Mandler, depicts the trio in a post-apocalyptic environment, featuring scenes involving angry protesters surrounding them. "Run This Town" was performed by Jay-Z, West, and Rihanna on the series premiere of The Jay Leno Show in the United States.[2][3]

  1. ^ Herrera, Monica (2009-08-08). "Run This Town". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  2. ^ Eng, Joyce (2009-08-07). "Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West to Kick Off Jay Leno Show". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-08-09. [dead link]
  3. ^ Hayden, Samantha (2009-08-06). "Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye To Welcome Jay Leno To Primetime". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-08-09.