‘Ozark 4’: What song does Ruth listen to in episode 8?

What song does Ruth (Julia Garner) listen to in Season 4 Episode 8 of Ozarks? If you are a fan of hip hop, it is clear that it is an unmistakable song, a milestone within this musical genre that is impossible for a fan to go unnoticed. But if ’90s hip hop isn’t your thing, you obviously don’t know where the shots are coming from. The song is New York State of Mindfrom probably the best hip hop album of all time, Ilmatic, the work of American rapper Nas. Be careful not to confuse this song with the homonymous one by Billy Joel, which only shares the name and has nothing to do with it (no, it’s not a tribute, nor is it a new version). So your question is resolved. And now we have to justify why we are talking about it. For starters, any excuse is a good one to talk about Ruth. All series use their soundtrack to support the plot, to create moods, to create a sound stage, but in the case of the character of Ruth Langmore we find one of the most emblematic links between soundtrack and character in the history of television. Every time Ruth listens to a song it is as if the fourth wall is broken, as if it were a theatrical stage direction to give information to the viewer. And, of course, the last season of the series could not be an exception. Nas’s song is not just any song: it is the quintessence of Ruth’s entire story arc throughout the series, not just in season 4. But first we have to talk about the musician with whom Ruth reflects on the song.

Who is the musician Ruth talks to in ‘Ozark’ episode 8?

If you don’t know what song Ruth is listening to, you also won’t know who the musician is that she meets in the cafeteria and starts arguing with about it. He is rapper Killer Mike, one of Ruth Langmore’s idols. The conversation between the two can be summarized as follows: is it possible that violence and hope can coexist at the same time? That is one of the strong ideas of the series; that’s why the series has always worked better the more it has pulled towards those two extremes, the more it has played with the two extremes. The crazier the violence, the crazier the possibility of saving himself, the more we liked the series. Ruth has always felt identified with rap and hip hop because she has always drawn a parallel between the Ozark redneck community and the African-American community, whether or not this makes obvious sense (which it doesn’t, but for the character, it does). ). The song talks about violence, about the dark side of violence, but also about its supposed attractiveness (especially when she says: Estar dreaming that I’m a gangster, drinking Moets).

Ruth wants to see in the song a reflection on everything she has lived through, in addition to identifying herself right now in the emotional and physical state in which she finds herself. As he suffers from insomnia, derived from depression over Wyatt’s death and his desire for revenge, he believes that the song speaks to him when he says: “I never sleep, because sleep is the cousin of death”, a quote that has usually been attributed to him. to Edgar Allan Poe, but it has never been proven that it was his. Sleeping, moreover, is a metaphor for being alert, for letting your guard down. The moment Ruth trusts, he thinks, death will come. In his conversation with Killer Mike, they don’t mention it, but right after that line the song says, “Pulling together a puzzle while going back in time” and “Nothing equals the New York state of mind.” All Ruth’s daydreams in season 4, thinking about Wyatt and better times have to do with this. And if where it says New York you put the Ozarks and you already have the complete picture of what is going through Ruth’s head.