Run the Jewels Stands Boldly with RTJ4
I’ve been a fan of Run the Jewels since their debut album in 2013. In fact, to go back even further, Killer Mike (one half of the rhyming duo), has never received his just deserts as a hip hop artist. Who could forget his show-stealing flow on OutKast’s 2001 hit, “The Whole World”? Even back then, he was politically astute, lyrically fierce, and unapologetically defiant. Similarly, El-P (the other half of the potent rhyming duo) has played a large part in alternative Hip Hop sounds for about two decades. As a former member of the groups Company Flow and The Weathermen, he also produced and released four solo albums of his own.
Ironically, both of their solo efforts have not made as large of a splash musically as their powers combined. With their new, hurried release (two days before the original June 5, 2020 date), RTJ4, already set to make a debut in the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, their unique brand of hip hop is still gaining momentum. The album comes just days after Killer Mike’s heartfelt speech in Atlanta, GA, regarding George Floyd. RTJ4 is just as piercing and relevant to today’s climate.
“yankee and the brame (ep. 4)” bulldozes in with a heart-rattling machine-gun boogie. Killer Mike and El-P exchange rapid fire flows that set the tone for the tracks to follow. The Greg Nice & DJ Premier assisted “ooh la la” is less bombastic in its production, but just as militant. “Warmongers are dumpin’ a pointed click at your pumpkin – look out,” El-P raps. The boldest track is perhaps “out of sight” featuring 2 Chainz. The lyrics are still poignant, but the song’s sample of “Misdemeanor” by The Sylvers was a bit arrogant, and hugely successful. Dr. Dre used the same sample in the D.O.C. classic, “It’s Funky Enough”.
Although a couple of RTJ4’s tracks literally sound like they are out of this world (listen to “goonies vs E.T.”), they land just as precisely. The album is just as equally jagged as it is polished. A stellar example of the latter is “JU$T” featuring Pharrell Williams. The men all collectively chant “Look at all these slave masters posing on your dollar”. Expect this song to make some major waves (and enemies) this summer.
Gangsta Boo stops by to add her southern flare on the dramatic, call-and-response riot, “walking in the snow”. Mavis Staples even joins the duo on the Capitalism critique, “pulling the pin”. The most chilling line of the entire album can found in the song’s chorus, stating, “There’s a grenade in my heart and the pin is in their palm”.
RTJ4 may incite some riots and ruffle some feathers (to put it mildly). If that happens, then the work of Run the Jewels will not be in vain. The duo is offering the album for free on their website, with the option to download it and donate to the National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Fund. This is activism. This is artistry with a voice. It is Hip Hop that marches in protest right out of your speakers.