Lil Durk is set to embark on his highly-anticipated “Sorry For the Drought” Tour in Summer 2023. The tour will coincide with the release of his upcoming album, Almost Healed, scheduled to drop on May 26. Lil Durk will be joined by a stellar lineup of artists on tour, including rappers Kodak Black, NLE Choppa, […]
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Killer Mike, the renowned rapper and activist, excited fans with the announcement of his new album that is set to release in June. Despite not releasing any solo music until 2008 with I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II, Killer Mike has become a major staple in the rap industry, with his 2012 album R.A.P Music being considered a classic. He is also known for his contributions to the black community, such as speaking at the REVOLT Summit and collaborating with Stacey Abrams.
However, Killer Mike’s skills as a rapper should not be underestimated. He is ready to remind us just how skilled he is with the announcement of his new solo album, MICHAEL. The album will be released on June 16, following a 10-year solo music hiatus. While he has been consistently releasing music with longtime friend and collaborator EL-P under the moniker Run The Jewels, fans are excited to hear what Mike has in store for his new solo outing. Upon announcing the album, Mike dropped the single “Don’t Let The Devil.” It was a small taste of what was to come. Now, the rapper has released another track from the album called “Motherless.” Along with it, he has released a music video.
Killer Mike gets emotional on his new track, “Motherless.” It’s another gospel-tinged track with beautiful vocals from Eryn Allen Kane and a smooth bassline. Just like with “Don’t Let The Devil,” listeners will be transported while they listen to the track. Lyrically, Mike speaks about the loss of his mother and how it has affected him. Throughout the track, he speaks about the things that he wishes he could tell her. However, he also says that he would give up his fame to have her back. “If God sent me back to normal to be next to you,” Mike raps. “I would gladly trade it all ’cause I be missin’ you.”
In addition to the new single and video, Mike announced that he will be embarking on a solo tour in support of the album. “Let everyone know GOOD NEWS IS COMING!” Mike said in a social media post. “I’m excited to announce The High & Holy Tour. My choir, The Midnight Revival, and I will perform songs from my new album MICHAEL, as well as classic hits from R.A.P. Music, PLEDGE, and more. Join us for a night of celebration and soulful connection. Let’s have a Revival!” What do you think of the new Killer Mike track? Let us know in the comments below!
Quotable Lyrics:
You won’t believe it, mama
I achieved it, mama
Turned these hating ass people
To believers, mama
Rapper and entrepreneur Killer Mike have acquired Kinly, a new banking platform to help Black communities build financial wealth. This acquisition aligns with Killer Mike’s mission to promote economic empowerment among Black and Brown consumers. Killer Mike Acquires Kinly According to reports, Killer Mike has acquired Kinly, a mobile banking app designed to help Black […]
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Grammy-winning rapper Killer Mike has announced The High & Holy Tour to support his upcoming album, “Michael.” The tour includes 19 stops across the United States. It is set to start on July 10th in Birmingham, AL, and end on Aug. 5th in New Orleans, LA. Killer Mike, known for his politically charged lyrics and […]
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Killer Mike has a busy summer ahead of him. In June, he will release Michael, his first solo album in 11 years. The following month, he will kick off his North American solo tour, The High & Holy Tour.
During his upcoming tour, Mike will be joined by the Midnight Revival Choir, who will perform with Mike several songs from various albums, mixtapes, and projects in his catalog.
“[We] will perform songs from my new album MICHAEL, as well as classic hits from [my albums] R.A.P. Music, PLEDGE, and more,” said Mike in an Instagram post.
In September, Mike will be joined by his Run The Jewels bandmate EL-P, as they embark on a special 10th-anniversary tour.
You can see the full list of Killer Mike’s solo tour dates below. Tickets are available for purchase here.
07/10 — Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
07/11 — Charleston, SC @ Music Hall
07/13 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
07/14 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
07/15 — Charlotte, NC @ Underground
07/17 — Norfolk, VA @ Norva
07/18 — Washington D.C. @ Lincoln Theatre
07/20 — New York, NYC @ Apollo Theatre
07/21 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Music Hall
07/23 — Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
07/24 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
07/27 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox
07/28 — Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
07/29 — San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
07/31 — Los Angeles, CA @ Theatre At Ace Hotel
08/01 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
08/03 — Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
08/04 — Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
08/05 — New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of Killer Mike and El-P’s first album together as Run The Jewels. To celebrate, they announced a 10-year anniversary tour for September and October, where they will perform each Run The Jewels album over the course of four shows in four different cities. This tour announcement also comes on the heels of their new song “Don’t Let The Devil,” from Killer Mike’s new album Michael, his first solo album in 11 years.
The duo first teamed up in 2012 when El-P produced Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music album in its entirety. Then, Mike appeared on El-P’s Cancer 4 Cure before they released Run The Jewels in 2013. The success of the first installment became the launching pad for the three monumental albums that followed to critical acclaim. Run The Jewels 1, 2, 3, and 4 are undoubtedly one of the greatest four-album runs in rap history.
Run The Jewels have never missed on any of their albums, making it difficult to rank one album over the other. The difficulty in making a list like this proves how consistent Killer Mike and El-P have been together and why they are one of hip hop’s most legendary duos. With their fifth album nearly completed, we’ve ranked each of the Run The Jewels albums from worst to best.
This is where it all started. Following R.A.P. Music, Killer Mike and El-P’s self-titled debut album as Run The Jewels was fresh and exciting as the two rappers traded verses over El-P’s cutting-edge production. The Run The Jewels sound was new for both of them and ten years later, it still holds up in terms of quality and replay value.
Run The Jewels is a concise ten songs, leaving their rapidly growing fanbase longing for more music. It originally started as a one-off collaboration between Killer Mike and El-P but their chemistry developed on their later albums and they continued to raise the bar. The only aspects of this album that keep it at the bottom of the list are the hooks on certain songs. Despite being incredibly well-produced, El-P’s production exceeded expectations on their sophomore effort.
Essential Tracks: “Run The Jewels,” “Banana Clipper,” “36” Chain,” “Job Well Done,” “Get It”
The impact of RTJ4 was almost immediate, arriving at the height of Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020. The politically-charged themes were just as prevalent in prior albums. However, the timely messaging regarding police brutality and systemic racism hit differently on RTJ4, at a time when people around the world flooded the streets in protest of these very issues. The lyrical content on this album ties together the past and present, and will almost definitely continue to ring true for many years to come.
Musically, the production on this album is some of the best they have ever rapped over. RTJ4 was among the best albums of 2020 and it only ranks third because the above albums contain the most essential Run The Jewels songs.
Essential Tracks: “Yankee and the Brave,” “Ooh LA LA,” “Out Of Sight,” “Holy Calamafuck,” “A Few Words for the Firing Squad (Radiation)”
Run The Jewels 3 also was very impactful upon release as it came out soon after the 2016 presidential election, adding a sense of urgency to songs like “Talk to Me” and “2100.” Unlike the first two installments albums, Run The Jewels 3 starts on a calmer, more positive note but its toughest tracks pack a very hard punch. Musically, it is their most varied album, as far as tempos and instrumentation go. They have their signature bangers like “Legend Has It” and “Panther Like A Panther,” but the album contains their most vulnerable moments such as “Thursday in the Danger Room,” dedicated to their friends who passed away.
Essential Tracks: “Legend Has It,” “Call Ticketron,” “Stay Gold,” “Panther Like A Panther (Miracle Mix),” “Thursday in the Danger Room”
Run The Jewels 2 is relentless. Its lean 12-song tracklist consists of nothing but bangers as the intensity grows quickly with each song. Across the 42-minute runtime, Killer Mike and El-P do not take their feet off the gas. They showed fans what they can do together on Run The Jewels but they strengthened their chemistry on Run The Jewels 2, resulting in some of their greatest moments together. Most importantly, El-P’s production on this album defined Run The Jewels’ signature sound. Though every song is energetic, the beats rank high among El-P’s best productions. “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry” is already thrilling, but the song’s electrifying beat switch takes things to another level. There are plenty of explosive moments on the album, such as the unpredictable “Lie Cheat Steal.”
There is also “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck),” which is arguably the group’s best song, containing a show-stealing appearance from Zack De La Rocha who went on to appear on their following albums. The first Run The Jewels was a very loose and exhilarating album that highlighted Killer Mike and El-P’s humorous lyrics. Still, Run The Jewels 2 built upon that excitement and moved into uncharted territory to establish their legacy.
Essential Tracks: “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry,” “Blockbuster Part 1,” “Close Your Eyes (And Count To F**k),” “Early,” “All Due Respect”
Killer Mike is celebrating his birthday by formally launching the countdown for his new solo album MICHAEL via the release of “Don’t Let The Devil (feat EL-P & thankugoodsir).” MICHAEL marks the celebrated MCs first solo project since 2012’s critically lauded R.A.P. Music and serves as an introduction to the totality of Michael Render, a lifelong rap fiend whose consciousness is seeped in the sounds of community that raised him – multiple eras of southern rap flows, Sunday church service, and barbershop discourse. Speaking on his most autobiographical and independent album to date, Mike states “RTJ is the X-Men, this is my Logan.” For the new single Mike linked with his Run The Jewels partner in rhyme EL-P, trading verses over a lilting soul loop produced by No I.D., EL-P, & Little Shalimar. “My favorite group (US) with my favorite producers! It’s our 10 year anniversary and MICHAEL is an origin story so I wanted to start w/ El.”
“DON’T LET THE DEVIL” arrives in the wake of RTJ announcing a 10 year anniversary run this Fall, the release of their collaborative sneakers with Nike this week, and Mike’s recent appearance at SXSW, where he performed an intimate career-spanning show at Stubb’s flanked by a choir, and previewed several new songs that are expected to appear on the Atlanta MC’s new album (read more here). He further brought the album to life at a private listening event in NYC this past Monday, where a couple hundred attendees crowded into St. Ann’s & the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn to hear Mike present the album in his own words.
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Killer Mike, the esteemed rapper, and activist, has fans chomping at the bits as he announces a new album in June. You probably were introduced to Killer Mike from his feature on OutKast’s “Snappin’ & Trappin’” off their classic album Stankonia. Despite not having any music of his own until 2008 with I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II, and later shaking the rap game with his 2012 classic R.A.P Music, Killer Mike has become one of rap’s biggest staples. When you’re getting a shoutout from Kendrick Lamar on the impact of your album you know you’re doing something right.
While we all know the Atlanta native for his countless contributions to the Black community, whether it’s speaking at the REVOLT Summit or kicking knowledge with Stacey Abrams on how we can move forward as a people, we forget how nice he is on the mic. However, Killer Mike reminds us all that he is indeed really like that. Announcing a new solo album after a 10-year hiatus since his critically acclaimed album R.A.P Music in 2012. Although we’ve gotten consistent from him and his longtime collaborator EL-P as the rap duo Run The Jewels, it’s been a minute since we’ve heard from just Killer Mike. To kickoff his birthday Killer Mike announced that his album MICHAEL is dropping June 16.
Not only that, but Mike also dropped a single called “Don’t Let The Devil” accompanied by his RTJ partner EL-P. The track is soulful and could easily be a cut from a Run The Jewels project. Furthermore, Mike’s lyricism has only gotten better with time. The new single follows two previously released singles, “Run” featuring Young Thug and Dave Chappelle, and “Talk’n That Shit!.” Given that it’s been so long since we’ve got solo work from Mike, it appears he has not lost a single step.
Judging from the latest single along with the other two he dropped, it looks like we’re in for a treat. Mike’s unique blend of fiery and witty lyrics and impeccable production make for another classic in the making. However, that’s not all Killer Mike has on the docket for himself. Upon the release of his new album, he and EL-P are hitting the road to tour for the 10-year anniversary of RTJ. It’s clear Killer Mike is coming out with a bang and fans couldn’t be more ecstatic. Stream “Don’t Let The Devil” and let us know what you think below!
