Synopsis

"Hyena" is a raw performance piece rather than a narrative. Rancid play the song with abrasive, close-up energy while quick cuts emphasize Tim Armstrong's ragged vocal delivery, Matt Freeman's prominent bass, and Brett Reed's pounding drums. The presentation stays rooted in the band's early-1990s East Bay punk identity, favoring immediacy and attitude over polish or elaborate sets. Its rough, direct visual language mirrors the song's portrait of alienation, poverty, and survival on the margins.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in 1993 alongside Rancid's self-titled debut album, issued by Epitaph Records on May 10 of that year.

• "Hyena" was the only track from the album to receive an official music video.

• The song is the second track on the album and runs for 2 minutes and 55 seconds, making it one of the record's longer songs.

• The clip captures Rancid as a trio: Tim Armstrong, Matt Freeman, and Brett Reed. Lars Frederiksen had not yet become part of the band's recorded lineup.

• The video was later included on the band's home-video collection "The Music Videos 1993-2003," released in 2008.

• "Hyena" was also one of the songs associated with the early promotional campaign for the debut, helping introduce Rancid's harsher, street-punk sound before the broader success of "Let's Go" and "...And Out Come the Wolves."