Ameer Rutherford runs a tight ship for hip hop all-stars Run The Jewels
When Ameer Rutherford isn’t spreading joy around the bars of Flint, he’s running a tight ship as head of security for rap all-stars Run The Jewels. It wasn’t an easy or conventional path by any means, and somehow it all started with a tennis match in 1993.
“So in the beginning when I joined the army I wanted to learn how to do high-end security. I saw a need back then — people were running into social issues,” says Rutherford. “Monica Seles got attacked while she was playing tennis on a tennis court and why was there no security there? That spun into this thing where I was like, ‘Huh? How would you do that?’ Then I thought about how the Army is the best place to learn that stuff. So I joined with that intention. As things go, that got sidetracked by going to war 6 or 7 times.”
In 2003 Rutherford joined the Army to set his career trajectory in motion. It involved learning valuable skills that could be applied to not only security, but his everyday life. After 9/11 it was also a chance to be a part of a major moment in history. He stayed, he learned all he needed to know, but he forgot why he joined in the first place.
“I was getting out because there’s a diminishing return on investment when you’re in the military. I’ve gotten through unscathed up until that point, but the future was not gonna be bright for surviving more deployments,” says Rutherford. “I already had more than anyone else in my unit so I said, I’m gonna get out while everything’s still good and maybe not get hit by a car driving down the street.”
After getting out and living a normal life, a phone call while he was studying from an old friend changed everything. Although it wasn’t to protect a famous tennis player, it involved serving hip hop’s biggest rising stars, Run The Jewels.
“His biggest client was Run The Jewels and he had issues with security because they were growing fast in the underground scene. They were about to go on another tour through Europe and over that summer before they went on that tour, they had received death threats from alt-right and right-wing groups due to a video that was made using one of their songs. It wasn’t one of their videos, it was a video of Richard Spencer getting punched on the street and a DJ put one of their tracks over the top of it. So using Shazam or whatever, these guys figured out it was Run The Jewels who made the track, thought they were responsible and started making threats against them. Using skills I’ve learned in the Army I helped them build a better security profile online and then got asked to do security planning for a tour with Lorde and their solo European and Australian runs.”
As Run The Jewels continued to explode as a crossover success, their shows and tours got bigger and bigger. Being asked to open for mainstream sensation Lorde in 2018 meant a lot more happening behind the scenes to ensure everyone’s safety.
“It’s a massive undertaking. There were 15 semi-trucks and there was a caravan of people that would go. Our part of the tour had two tour buses and two massive trailers. Their part was all the other semi-trucks and four tour buses for the act. Then there was the food caravan. My deal was doing site surveys of the arenas, the points of interest all around, where the Level 1 Trauma Centers were then the routing to and from those places. You go from the worst-case scenario backward to zero. We would make contact with the local law enforcement and make sure they had anyone who we could build a file on that had made threats against the guys. I spend time using open source on the internet to see who made threats.”
Rutherford admits planning for the tours from his laptop at Foster Coffee Co. in Downtown Flint and how the position includes even more preparation beforehand than on the tour itself. Security for those in the public eye is a very big deal and not only are their lives at stake, but your job is if you slip up. However, it’s still one of the best jobs in the world and he offered insight into how to break in.
“That world is a word of mouth and friendship world. If you meet someone in that world, you have to express interest then be willing to learn. Working for artists is a world beyond. Like in London we had to change hotel rooms three times. They get mad, then they’re not mad and you don’t know why. It’s sort of like dating. You just have to be relaxed and flexible, but you also have to be professional. The process you have to figure out for yourselves, really. I went through the military route and saw the end goal, but professionalism is what you really need to hold onto.”
Between tours, Rutherford can be seen all over Flint. There was never a specific place for him because he believes in the allure of the unknown.
“I go everywhere downtown. We used to do a thing called ‘Right Guys, Wrong Bar’ and pick a random spot and go. It never failed to be a good time because you’ll end up talking to someone interesting no matter where you go. I’ll go to Soggy Bottom Bar because I work there part time, then I’ll go to The Torch, The Loft, these are all places I know I can find someone I know. Churchills, 501 — The Market Tap is the upcoming spot right now. RP’s is the neighborhood spot because we can have fun then walk home after.
While traveling the world for pleasure, business or even his years in the Army, Flint’s unexplainable magnetic pull kept bringing Rutherford back time and time again. And as time went on, there became more reasons to stay.
“I went to high school in Flint, went to college in Ann Arbor, came back to Flint, then went to the Army, then came back to Flint. Flint is home. My dad lives here, my brother and nieces live nearby. I can see positive things happening. If it was 20 years ago and all this stuff had happened I probably wouldn’t have come back, but I see so many good things happening and such a good spirit with people who maintain Flint still. You just have to come back. You can be at the core of something that’s growing and I want to be a part of that.”
You can catch Ameer Rutherford dropping into a random Flint bar near you and see Run The Jewels opening for Rage Against The Machine starting this month.
