Run the Jewels is a hip-hop group made up of Killer Mike and El-P. Killer Mike is an Atlanta-based rapper and political activist. The other member, El-P, is a Brooklyn producer and rapper. The two met each other through an executive from Cartoon Network, where they quickly became friends and started to collaborate. El-P produced R.A.P. Music in 2012, Mike’s most critically acclaimed solo album. Killer Mike was featured on El-P’s album in the same year. A full collaboration was soon in progress, and on June 26, 2013, Run the Jewels put out their debut self-titled album. With the experimental but hard-hitting production and the commentative lyricism, the public loved the project.
The group has made an additional three albums, two remix albums, and a few singles since 2013, but what might be the most interesting of their releases is their third album, Run the Jewels 3. The album was released on Christmas Eve of 2016, and gained additional publicity when the single “Legend Has It” was included as the background track of the trailer for Marvel’s Black Panther.
Its sound is somewhat different from the previous outing of the group, as it is less raw and pushes for almost a futuristic tone. Tracks like “Call Ticketron” use samples from “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and give them new life by placing them in a very electronic-heavy beat. The level of synthesizer use on the album helps to build its atmosphere and helps to flow into its themes of anti-authority, and unity. “Thursday in the Danger Room” deals with the loss of friends due to unnecessary conflicts, and trying to comfort those in a time of loss. Run the Jewels 3 is able to tackle these subjects without fear, which makes its push for equality and freedom in its lyrics that much more powerful to the listener.
In a Complex interview with El-P and Killer Mike, El-P responds to a question about the distrust in authority on the album, “Run the Jewels is a human operation. We’re about the fact that you can still be powerful even without societal power. And I think that that’s incredibly important. Our power comes from our solidarity with each other, our love for each other. Our power comes from the fact that you cannot change that about us. You cannot change our hearts. We know who we are, we know how we want to operate in relationship to other people. That is Run the Jewels”.
In an era in which hip-hop has become more and more commercialized, it is crucial to shine the spotlight on those who make the art for the people, and not the paycheck.
