Killer Mike and El-P follow their critically acclaimed collaborative effort “R.A.P. Music” in a slightly different way. This time around El-P picks up the mic as Killer Mike’s tag-team partner in rhyme along with handling production. Together they make up the group Run The Jewels and bring Hip Hop back to it’s hardcore beginnings with this menacing free album. Filled with dark humor, hardcore rhymes, dangerous beats and intelligent insight ‘Run The Jewels’ is an album which fully makes use of all the ten tracks. Keeping it short and impactful, Killer Mike and El-P eliminate any unnecessary filler. The only two guest appearances are from southern legend Big Boi on “Banana Clipper” and Long Island legend Prince Paul on the hilarious “Twin Hype Back”. This album is more than just hardcore rhyme after hardcore rhyme on the tracks “Sea Legs” and “A Christmas Fucking Miracle” El-P and Mike both bare it all, and speak on their personal internal struggles as well as universal struggles and odds we all collectively face. “Job Well Done” has both MCs blacking out and El-P delivering one of the best verses on the album with a detailed account of the world going haywire over the release of this new project. “Never Come Down” is more than just a drug binge turned into a song, Killer Mike spits arguably another one of the albums best verses, flawlessly mixing strip clubs, ancient Egyptian tales, molly, and the rare “Black Madonna”.
Rating 8.3/10
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