The irony is not lost on me as I mouth the lyrics “Lie, cheat, steal, kill, win – everybody’s doing it.” as I walk into church on Sunday. I take out my headphones and attend the worship service, but the production of El-P makes my knee bounce the entire time.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m an absolute sucker for production when it comes to hip hop. Good lyrics can improve a track for me, but if it has a really unique sample or beat – I’m sold. I think that’s why Run the Jewels took such a hold on me from the first listen. Every song has a new vibe – the further you get into the album the more you insist there can’t possibly be a fresh, non-repetitive beat because they’ve all been used in the precedent songs. Many critics describe the production as “violent” and although not every song has that amount of tension, when a song like “Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1” comes on, the kick drum bangs so hard your foot almost pounds the floor in pied piper-like unison.
“They’re two guys with dexterous, booming voices over blaring production that’s percussive, abrasive, and dynamic…the first thing you can reach for if you’re getting elbowed on the subway or cut off in traffic driving down I-85.” (Patrick Joseph)
El-P and Killer Mike are both successful acts in their own right, but after collaborating on what they most likely supposed to be a one-time mixtape called Run The Jewels, there was so much buzz that they realized they’d eclipsed their solo careers with 10 quick songs. Not ones to let a good thing pass them by, they quickly followed dup a year later with this album. Not only did it not disappoint, but no one could have anticipated that it would surpass their first effort.
And although I may be a production guy, there is an absolutely staggering amount of incredible one-liners embedded in every track. “I wear my Yankee so tilted, I walk with a hunch” spits El-P on “Close Your Eyes”. Back on the opening of “Blockbuster” Killer Mike graces us with the gem “Top of the morning, my fist to your face is f***ing Folger’s.” And that’s the type of stuff you come to expect from RTJ – pop culture-referencing insults and insights. But this album adds in an element that their debut only had in fits and starts: a focused political message. The appearance of Zack de la Rocha, who has predominantly be in hibernation since the dissolution of his political hard rock/hip-hop group Rage Against the Machine, adds credibility to RTJ’s pivot to a more partisan sound.
Also worth noting is that the album was re-released and re-mixed with supplemental cat noises in an album called Meow the Jewels. If that doesn’t endear you to Run the Jewels, nothing will.
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Released: October 24th, 2014
Suggested by: Cesar Adams
For project details and to suggest your own favorite album, visit the intro page.