Jay-Z’s ‘Run This Town’ Video: Check Out A Preview Here!

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Kanye West and Rihanna co-star in clip, which recalls ‘Mad Max.’
By Jayson Rodriguez

Kanye West, Rihanna and Jay-Z on the set of the “Run This Town” music video

Photo: Lenny S. / TheLifeFiles.net

When it comes to his music videos, Jay-Z has logged some pretty serious frequent-flier miles.

The Brooklyn wordsmith ventured up north to Toronto for the “Big Pimpin’ ” video and even trekked overseas to Monaco for his “Show Me What You Got” clip. So where could he go for his next video, “Run This Town,” featuring Kanye West and Rihanna?

Back in time, maybe? Queens, New York? In fact, both!

In a 30-second preview of “Run This Town” (the second single from Jay’s forthcoming Blueprint 3 LP), we see an angry, torch-wielded mob surrounding the trio in a post-apocalyptic setting that looks like a scene right out of “Mad Max.”

Anthony Mandler, who directed the video for Jay’s first single “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),” is the man behind the camera and brings his cinematic touch to the clip. The visuals are unlike anything we’ve come to expect from Jay-Z in the past. From “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is …)” to I Just Wanna Luv U (Give It 2 Me)”, Jay has mastered being the life of the party. But “Run This Town,” with its action sequences and cast of extras is new territory for the MC.

The video was shot in Queens, New York recently and pictures of Jay, Kanye and Rihanna on the set leaked onto the Internet last week, revealing the artists clad in all black. Sources told MTV News at the time that more than 80 extras were on set at the historic Fort Totten Park, a preserved Civil War fortress.

In the preview, a number of extras can be seen, also clad in black and acting unruly while bearing torches.

The video premieres Thursday on MTV — and don’t miss Jay’s performance at the VMAs on September 13!

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place September 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Additional celebrity presenters and performers will be announced in the coming weeks. To be the first to find out the inside scoop, follow the Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/InsideMTV.

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