Royce 5’9″, Pusha T & Rick Ross Put A Dirty Politician On Trial By The Streets (Video)
2016 has been a major turning point for Royce 5’9″. The Detroit, Michigan MC already has an illustrious career behind him, but with the April release of Layers, he earned his first ever number-one LP. Buoyed by the critical acclaim of his Trust the Shooter EP, his sixth studio album followed the prophetically titled 2011 release Success Is Certain, and is guaranteed to usher in accomplishments bigger and better for the lyrical assassin.
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Perhaps nowhere else on Layers is there more lethal lyricism than on the album’s title track. Featuring Pusha T and Rick Ross, the Mr. Porter-produced single is now accompanied by an ominous video that takes aim at a dirty politician. It starts with a television set droning with static white noise, as a sermon-like speech extols a message reminding listeners that what makes them human is the ability to think creatively. Immediately after is the familiar sight of a sneering politician in front of a waving flag–a symbol that has become synonymous with broken promises and failed systems. Pusha T is first seen in a sleazy motel room, rifling through photos of the politician as he dons black gloves. Royce holds up the motel’s lobby before replacing his victim behind the desk and then checking in the same politician. By the time Rick Ross’ character hits the screen, it’s evident everything is about to take a dark turn, and the final scene is a deep, straightforward look at how politicians’ actions are affecting real people, and what those politicians might face, if held accountable by the streets.
Royce 5’9″ is currently wrapping up his North American tour, and will be performing at the newly unveiled Roots Picnic in New York City on October 2.