Legend Has It

"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.[1]

"Legend Has It"
Single by Run the Jewels
from the album Run the Jewels 3
ReleasedDecember 2, 2016 (2016-12-02)
RecordedJanuary 2015 – September 2016
StudioRTJ
GenreHip hop
Length3:25
LabelRun the Jewels, Inc.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)El-P
Run the Jewels singles chronology
"2100"
(2016)		 "Legend Has It"
(2016)		 "Mean Demeanor"
(2017)

Music video

The music video, which Spin called "hallucinatory" and "politically charged",[2] 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".[3]

Reception

Pitchfork called the song a "non-stop rapathon", and "[Run the Jewels] at its most lethal, funny, and ferocious".[4] Rolling Stone noted its "steady Producto beat that wobbles with ambient, sci-fi effects",[5] while DIY considered the lyrics to demonstrate Run the Jewels' characteristic "playfulness".[6]

The song achieved RIAA gold certification in December 2019 for selling 500,000 total units in the United States.[7]

Licensing

The song was used in the trailer for the 2018 Marvel Studios film Black Panther,[8] and, subsequently, in a Black Panther-themed Lexus commercial.[9] As well, Run the Jewels announced a partnership with a Florida brewer to produce a "Legend Has It" pilsner.[10]

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.[11] The song was also used in the video game Rogue Company.[12]

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Prog Rock Samples in Hip Hop: A Primer, by Thomas Hatton, at Proglodytes; published February 8, 2019; retrieved June 8, 2022
  2. Video: Run the Jewels – “Legend Has It”, by Winston Cook-Wilson; at Spin; published March 22, 2017; retrieved May 29, 2020
  3. 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
  4. Run the Jewels: “Legend Has It”, reviewed by Sheldon Pearce, at Pitchfork; published December 1, 2016; retrieved May 28, 2020
  5. Hear Run the Jewels’ Defiant New Song ‘Legend Has It’, by Jon Blistein, in Rolling Stone; published December 2, 2016; retrieved May 29, 2020
  6. Run the Jewels - Legend Has It, reviewed by El Hunt, in DIY; published December 9, 2016; retrieved May 29, 2020
  7. RIAA
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. Rogue Company Is A Bit Of A Mess, But I Love It, by Ash Batesm at Cultured Vultures; published August 4, 2020; retrieved July 21, 2023
  13. "American single certifications – Run the Jewels – Legend Has It". Recording Industry Association of America.
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