It’s fair to say Zack de la Rocha loves Run The Jewels. In fact, he can be found lending his razor-sharp vocals to no fewer than three of the duo's tracks – Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) on RTJ 2, A Report To Shareholders / Kill Your Masters on RTJ 3 and, most recently, Ju$t, on RTJ 4.
It’s perhaps the third installation in their collab that is the most essential, however. Released in the midst of mass civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd by police officers and the ensuing Black Lives Matter activism, the track has already become a soundtrack to the movement. Run The Jewels have repeatedly addressed the topics of prejudice racism and equality throughout their career – but never has it sounded so immediate as when flanked by Zack de la Rocha screaming, ‘Look at all these slave masters posin’ on yo’ dollar’.
Select other lyrics by Zack on Ju$t include, ‘How can we be the peace, when the beast gonna reach for the worst? Tear all the flesh off the Earth / Stage set for a deafening reckoning. Quick like the pace of a verse / So I'm questioning this quest for things. As a recipe for early death threatening / But the breath in me is weaponry. For you it’s just money.’
Potent. Powerful. Political. This is Zack bringing his absolute A-game. Once again, he is the voice of a moment in history.