Fear the Boom and Bust is a 2010 hip hop music video in which 20th century economists John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich von Hayek (played by Billy Scafuri and Adam Lustick, respectively) take part in a rap battle discussing economics, specifically, the boom and bust business cycle, for which the video is named. The video has more than seven million views on YouTube.
| Fear the Boom and Bust | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | John Papola |
| Cinematography | Billy Scafuri, Adam Lustick |
Release date | January 23, 2010 (2010-01-23) |
Running time | 7:33 |


The video was created by former Spike TV creative director and co-founder of the production company Emergent Order, John Papola, and economist Russ Roberts[1] of the George Mason University Mercatus Center.[2] Billy Scafuri and Adam Lustick, who are comedians with the Harvard Sailing Team[3] and Upright Citizens Brigade,[4] play Keynes and Hayek respectively.
In April 2011, a follow-up music video called Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two was released. This video examines the two economists' responses to the Great Recession. The central question in the video is whether a successful economy results from a "more bottom up" (i.e. totally free market) or "more top down" (i.e. Economic interventionism) approach.
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In one sense, then, the debate between these two was one of the most critical for the shape of the world over the last 75 years.