Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 2016
Legend Has It
Buy Legend Has It now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'Legend Has It'" is a song by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels. It was released as the third single from their third studio album, 'Run the Jewels 3' (2016), on December 2, 2016. The track samples the song Knots by English progressive rock band Gentle Giant.[https://proglodytes.com/2019/02/08/prog-rock-samples-in-hip-hop-a-primer/ Prog Rock Samples in Hip Hop: A Primer], by Thomas Hatton, at Proglodytes; published February 8, 2019; retrieved June 8, 2022
Music video
The music video, which 'Spin' called "hallucinatory" and "politically charged",[https://www.spin.com/2017/03/run-the-jewels-legend-has-it-video/ Video: Run the Jewels Legend Has It], by Winston Cook-Wilson; at 'Spin'; published March 22, 2017; retrieved May 29, 2020 depicts Run the Jewels in a police lineup, while "tripping on acid" as police officers try to get a witness to select them; the numbers that appear on the screen throughout the video represent "the rising rates of mass incarceration [in the United States] between 1980 and 2010".[https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/03/22/521128089/run-the-jewels-question-our-innocence-in-new-video-for-legend-has-it Run The Jewels Questions Our Innocence In New Video For 'Legend Has It'], by Rodney Carmichael, at National Public Radio; published March 22, 2017; retrieved May 29, 2020
Reception
'Pitchfork' called the song a "non-stop rapathon", and "[Run the Jewels] at its most lethal, funny, and ferocious".[https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/18629-run-the-jewels-legend-has-it/ Run the Jewels: Legend Has It], reviewed by Sheldon Pearce, at 'Pitchfork'; published December 1, 2016; retrieved May 28, 2020 'Rolling Stone' noted its "steady Producto beat that wobbles with ambient, sci-fi effects",[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-run-the-jewels-defiant-new-song-legend-has-it-111736/ Hear Run the Jewels Defiant New Song Legend Has It], by Jon Blistein, in 'Rolling Stone'; published December 2, 2016; retrieved May 29, 2020 while 'DIY' considered the lyrics to demonstrate Run the Jewels' characteristic "playfulness".[https://diymag.com/2016/12/09/run-the-jewels-legend-has-it Run the Jewels - Legend Has It], reviewed by El Hunt, in 'DIY'; published December 9, 2016; retrieved May 29, 2020
The song achieved RIAA gold certification in December 2019 for selling 500,000 total units in the United States.[https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=run+the+jewels RIAA]
Licensing
The song was used in the trailer for the 2018 Marvel Studios film 'Black Panther',[https://www.bustle.com/p/the-song-in-the-black-panther-teaser-trailer-will-be-stuck-in-your-head-all-summer-video-63556 The Song In The 'Black Panther' Teaser Trailer Will Be Stuck In Your Head All Summer VIDEO], by Matthew Jedeikin, at 'Bustle'; published June 10, 2017; retrieved May 29, 2020 and, subsequently, in a 'Black Panther'-themed Lexus commercial.[https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2018/02/run-the-jewels-legend-has-it-lexus-black-panther-commercial/ Run The Jewels Legend Has It Lands in Lexus Black Panther Commercial], by C. Vernon Coleman II, in 'XXL'; published February 3, 2018; retrieved May 29, 2020 As well, Run the Jewels announced a partnership with a Florida brewer to produce a "Legend Has It" pilsner.[https://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/drinking/sf-miami-j-wakefield-black-panther-beer-run-the-jewels-20180222-story.html J. Wakefield Brewing creating 'Black Panther'-inspired beer with Run the Jewels], by Phillip Valys, in the 'Sun-Sentinel'; published February 22, 2018; retrieved May 29, 2020
In 2018, El-P reported that the National Football League had sought permission to play "Legend Has It" in stadiums during the Super Bowl, and that he and Killer Mike had denied this permission in response to the NFL's decision to fine players who participated in taking a knee; he also stated that the NFL had sought to pay "zero dollars" for the use of the song.[https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/05/24/26524119/run-the-jewels-rejected-the-nfls-request-to-use-legend-has-it-during-the-super-bowl Run the Jewels Rejected the NFL's Request to Use "Legend Has It" During the Super Bowl], by Dave Segal, in 'The Stranger'; published May 24, 2018; retrieved May 29, 2020
Certifications
References
Buy Legend Has It now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 2016