Jay-Z’s “Run This Town” and the Occult Connections
Jay-Z’s latest video called “Run This Town” (featuring Rihanna and Kanye West) contains occult symbolism relating to secret societies. It has been long rumored that Jay-Z is part of some sort of occult order (probably Freemasonry) due to the hints slipped in his songs and his imagery. ”Run This Town” certainly adds fuel to the fire. We’ll look at the symbolism in this song and in his clothing line, Rocawear.
I’m pretty sure Jay-Z does it on purpose and that he appreciates the attention it gets him. He has been steadily displaying occult symbolism in his songs, videos and in the designs of his Rocawear clothing line. The Brooklyn rapper has lately been associating himself through telling hints to Freemasonry, Illuminati and other orders. Is he now initiated in one of those Brotherhoods and eager to show it off? Why does he appear in other videos containing occult meanings (see Rihanna’s “Umbrella” or Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”)?
The video to “Run This Town” was directed by Anthony Mandler, who also did Rihanna’s “Disturbia” video. In another of my articles, I explain how this video is a metaphor for evil possession. The least we can say is that Mandler certainly knows how to insert dark symbolism into a video.
“Do What Thou Wilt”
- Aleister Crowley: Reformer of the O.T.O. whose motto was “Do
- what Thou Wilt”. He also enjoyed being called ”The wickedest man in the world.
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“Do What Thou Wilt” is the official dictum of the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) and of its reformer, occultist Aleister Crowley. The O.T.O. is a hermetic order modeled after Freemasonry and German Illuminism and teaches its initiates the secrets of the Mysteries, gnosticism, sex magick, Kaballah and other occult sciences. Contrarily to Freemasonry, the O.T.O. is however based on the “Law of Thelema” which main precept is “Do What Thou Wilt be the whole of the Law“. Although this saying was interpreted in different ways, most agree that it refers to the dismissal of conventional moral and ethical rules in order to find one’s “True Will”. In other words, the usual guidelines by which good and evil are determined have to be blurred and forgotten to obtain the true path to illumination. Crowley explains this notion rather clearly here:
“There are no “standards of Right”. Ethics is balderdash. Each Star must go on its own orbit. To hell with “moral principle”; there is no such thing” -Crowley, Aleister. The Old and New Commentaries to Liber AL, II,28.
Although not officially considered “satanic”, the O.T.O. does fully embrace the Luciferian doctrine (see Crowley’s poem “Hymn to Lucifer) and its high level members are referred to as “Most Illuminated and Most Puissant Baphomet”. Baphomet is of course the horned androgynous idol of Western Occultism.
- Poster in honor of Crowley. Notice “Do What Thou Wilt” and Baphomet GOOGLE HIM!
Is Jay-Z part of the O.T.O. or does he just like that shirt? Don’t know. We will however see that he is very educated in the field of occult symbolism and that he enjoys hinting people that he associates with the Brotherhood. Here’s the video.
- Poster in honor of Crowley. Notice “Do What Thou Wilt” and Baphomet GOOGLE HIM!
Video Analysis
So this is the video at face value: Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West are performing in front of an angry mob, which is apparently out to overthrow the current order of things and thus “Run This Town”. The aesthetics of the video are reminiscent of movements led by rebel factions in third world African or Latino countries . When one listens closely to the lyrics however, something seems to be ”off”. Jay-Z and Kanye are mainly rapping about how rich and famous they are and are describing bourgeoisie luxuries such as Maison Martin Margiela clothes, Riesling watches and Maybach cars. This isn’t exactly the type of speech Che Guevara would give. Despite the looks, the artists aren’t quite revolutionary, they can even be considered pro-establishment. Is this a political rebellion or could it be philosophical/spiritual? The visuals of the video hint a second, occult meaning to the song.
At the beginning of the video, a man hands a lit torch to Rihanna who holds it up in the air. This symbolic gesture sums up perfectly the concept of the video.
- Rihanna handed a lit torch
Anybody vaguely familiar with occultism can easily associate the symbol of the lit torch held high to Lucifer a.k.a. the Light Bearer. Most occult orders secretly acknowledge Lucifer as being the savior of humanity, the fallen angel who liberated men from the oppression of the biblical God (Jehovah, Yahweh). These orders (the main one being Freemasonry) have been working for centuries towards the overthrow of the rule of organized religions to usher in a new age or a “New Order”. At the philosophical center of this order: the Luciferian Doctrine, where men are free to become gods by their own means. The Torch of Illumination is the ultimate symbol of this philosophy and can be found in many instances (see Statue of Liberty, a gift from French Freemasons). The goal of the Illuminist has been put in plain in simple words: they are dedicated to the “coming forth of the conquering light“. “Run This Town” visually represents this aim in a clear way for the initiates yet concealed for the profane.
Consequently, the video contains a second level of interpretation: “Run This Town” is an announcement of the coming of a New World Order, lead by secret (Luciferian) societies. Rihanna’s ominous intro explains how it is going down.
- Guess Rihanna can't make this clearer for you...
Rihanna’s lyrics are announcing an imminent change that might terrify or enrage some people (”hear the screams from everywhere“). The torches hint to a new spiritual and philosophical era where Lucifer is king. She is “addicted to the thrill” of being on the dark side and she knows that dealing with it is a “dangerous love affair“. But regardless of all of this, it all comes down to control, hence “Only thing that’s on my mind is who gon run this town tonight“.
Then Jay-Z comes along and announces the coming of “Roc Nation” (Roc being a diminutive of Rocafella, the name of his record label, which is based on the elite family Rockefeller).
We are, yeah, I said it, we areThis is Roc Nation, pledge your allegianceGet y’all fatigues on, all black everythingBlack cards, black cars, all black everythingAnd our girls are blackbirds, riding with they DillingersI get more in-depth if you boys really real enoughThis is La Familia, I’ll explain laterBut for now, let me get back to this paperI’m a couple bands down and I’m tryna get backI gave Doug a grip, I lost a flip for five stacksYeah, I’m talking five comma six zeroes dot zero ?Back to running circles ’round niggas, now we squared up
- Rihanna throwing Rocafella sign which is the left eye inside a triangle
So “Run This Town” contains obvious hints leading towards Luciferian philosophy and occult orders. The fire of Lucifer’s torch esoterically represents divine knowledge and wisdom brought to men. Fire in this video is however a destructive force. What type of knowledge are we giving these rebellious people, who represent the masses of fans?
Rapper Prodigy from the mythical group Mobb Deep has occasionally denounced Jay-Z’s affiliation with the Illuminati in the last years. Here’s an URB article on the subject.
Like he does in his monthly blog on Vibe.com, the incarcerated Prodigy recently spewed more of his conspiracy theories via a handwritten letter to URB. This time, he reveals the moment his eyes were opened to the sham he calls “the government, religions, politics, the Federal Reserve, and I.R.S.” According to P, in 1996, after reading a book by Dr. Malichi Z. York titled Leviathan 666, he was moved so much, he cried, and that was his “moment of clarity.”
“I was crying for all of humanity, but mostly for my black people ’cause I then realized it was all a sham,” Prodigy writes in his letter to URB. “The government, religions, politics, the Federal Reserve, the I.R.S., and everything that we believe and live by is a joke.” Even worse, the rapper says that many popular rappers are aware of these society secrets, but choose not to speak on it for fear of not being accepted by corporate America. One, in particular, is Jay-Z.
Occult Secrets of Jay Z, Kanye & Nas
“J.Z. knows the truth, but he chose sides with evil in order to be accepted in the corporate world. J.Z. conceals the truth from the black community and the world, and promotes the lifestyle of the beast instead,” he wrote. Prodigy says that Jay grew up grew up in Dr. York’s “Nuwabian” community in Brooklyn as a kid, and is “aware” of these evils — rogue government, elitists running the country, etc.
Because of Jay’z refusal to speak on the topics Prodigy has been doing so since his incarceration, he will make it a point to wage war against him.
“J.Z is a God damn lie. I have so much fire in my heart that I will relentlessly attack J.Z, Illuminati, and any-every other evil that exists until my lights are put out,” P writes. “This negativity I speak of is an actual living entity that uses us as food. We must sever ties with it in order to see things for what they really are. This negative energy is created and harnessed by the Illuminati secret government and they will make you spread this energy without you even knowing it. But people like J.Z. are very well aware. He was schooled by Dr. York,” he continued.
So, the least we can say is that Jay-Z has “affinities” with occultism and secret societies. “Run This Town” only adds to the suspicions surrounding him due to the symbolism and philosophy displayed in the video. In light of those facts, some questions arise: has Jay-Z sided with the elite to succeed in the corporate world? Is he used to promote NWO agenda? Or is this an act to fuel rumors and to add a little “mystique” around his persona? Maybe it’s all of the above. Maybe he’s doing this to get people like me writing and to generate buzz around his latest album. If this article has promoted Jay-Z, so be it. At least people will know what the the hell they’re saluting when they’re throwing up that Roc sign.
