r.a.p. music Archives - New Hip Hop News

A decade ago, rapper Killer Mike and producer/rapper El-P collaborated on ten scorching tracks on their self-titled debut album. 2013’s Run the Jewels is more than just a flash-in-the-pan stunt project; it’s a battle cry. Over the course of 33 minutes, listeners are greeted with anarchic, bass-driven songs brimming with braggadocios rhymes and thundering beats. The result is a project that galvanized Killer Mike and El-P as one of rap’s most dynamic duos.

From its opening track, appropriately titled “Run the Jewels,” the album exemplifies how two people from disparate rap backgrounds can grow together. On paper, Run the Jewels shouldn’t have worked. A Dirty South Rapper with syrupy vocals and a New York Underground figure with crate-digging tendencies doesn’t exactly seem like a match made in hip-hop heaven. But as the old adage goes: “opposites attract,” and sometimes, that attraction leads to greatness. The impact Run the Jewels made on the genre cannot be understated. Of course, being understated ain’t exactly the RTJ’s style, now is it?

The Yankee And The Brave

New York rapper/producer El-P began his career as a member of Collective Flow throughout the ‘90s. He would continue to be a guiding voice in the underground rap scene. El-P co-founded the independent record label Definitive Jux in 1999. Under the label’s banner, El-P produced albums for acts such as Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, and Cannibal Ox.

Killer Mike had been an Atlanta rap staple for years before forming Run the Jewels. He made his debut on the track “Snappin’ & Trappin” from Outkast’s seminal album, Stankonia. Killer Mike would go on to record a handful of stellar Southern rap albums throughout the aughts, to much critical acclaim.

In 2012, the two forged a deep partnership while recording Killer Mike’s fifth album R.A.P. Music. In a 2013 piece from Red Bull Music Academy, El-P stated, “You’re not expecting at 35 to meet your best friend.” Produced by El-P, who also lent vocals to the track “Butane (Champion’s Anthem),” R.A.P. Music was received with universal acclaim from music critics and fans. The album also laid the groundwork for what would become Run the Jewels.

A Thunderous Debut

On June 23^rd, 2013, the duo released Run the Jewels through the Brooklyn-based record label Fool’s Gold Records as a free download. The debut was met with glowing reviews from a number of publications and even appeared on several “Best of the Year” lists. Killer Mike and El-P quickly began a North American tour to support the album, bringing the fiery dynamic they displayed on wax to live audiences.

Run the Jewels is an album that practically speaks for itself. In fact, it’s nigh impossible to truly articulate how Mike and El’s fierce “chain-snatching” musical dynamic hits a listener’s ear. Each track contains depth in its production, dripping with bass that shakes the plaster off the wall and erratic breakbeats that are as infectious as they are abrasive. Run the Jewels contains some of the best production work El-P has ever made….at the time, at least.

However, where Run the Jewels truly makes its mark is with its vicious, trash-talking lyrics. El-P and Killer Mike play off each other well, trading verses like supervillains planning to launch an attack on all that is good. Despite the album’s violent imagery, there is a playful vibe to almost every track. El-P and Killer Mike are here to give listeners a cathartic experience through ostentatious lyricism and over-the-top threats. It’s the musical equivalent of playing Grand Theft Auto.

Rebels Without A Pause

RTJ didn’t rest on their laurels after the release of Run the Jewels. The duo quickly returned with a follow-up, appropriately titled Run the Jewels 2, a year later, proving their debut was no fluke. The duo would continue touring, eventually co-headlining festivals across the globe, further solidifying their place in the rap zeitgeist. Fast forward to 2023. It’s been ten years since Killer Mike and El-P tossed Run the Jewels at rap fans like a hand grenade. Now, the duo is engaging on a 10-year anniversary tour in a well-deserved victory lap.

Regarding its scope, Run the Jewels almost seems quaint in hindsight. Despite its boisterous tone, those ten tracks in 2013 could not prepare anyone for what the duo would become. Run the Jewels remains an important touchstone in rap. It’s a prime example of how collaborative efforts can give birth to something greater than its individual parts.

The post Run The Jewels’ Debut Turns 10 appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

An Unlikely Pairing

Before they started working together on R.A.P. Music, Killer Mike and El-P had already established themselves as highly respected artists in different areas of hip-hop. Killer Mike was a member of the Dungeon Family, collaborating with Outkast and cementing his name through the I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind series. El-P, on the other hand, came up in the underground rap scene with his group Company Flow. Throughout the early years of his career, he produced for Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Murs, and more, and released two solo albums. Killer Mike’s 2011 album PL3DGE was the last on his own Grind Time Official label and the only one that he had released on T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records.

Around that same time, El-P’s historic underground label, Definitive Jux had dissolved. Both artists were aware of each other and connected through a mutual friend, Adult Swim’s Jason DeMarco. After being introduced to each other, they worked on R.A.P. Music and released it on DeMarco’s Williams Street Records, which distributed original music for Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

El-P’s alternative take on New York hip-hop production and his abstract rap style is much different from Killer Mike’s tough, southern, and straightforward bars. El-P’s approach to Kille Mike’s southern sound on songs like “Big Beast” is a prime example of the magic of R.A.P. Music. The two took big risks on the album through the unconventional production but the results are very rewarding as the album displays Killer Mike and El-P’s early chemistry. They come from different musical backgrounds but that contrast in style is what makes the pair unlikely yet so perfect.

Political Themes

R.A.P. Music, which stands for “Rebellious African People,” furthered Killer Mike’s political themes from previous solo offerings. Ice Cube’s influence ran deep across the tracklist, specifically, Cube’s Amerikkka’s Most Wanted. Killer Mike uses R.A.P. Music as a vessel to address injustices across America including police brutality, the United States legal system, and the oppression of Black people. His political views fuel records like “Don’t Die” and “Anywhere But Here.” In “Untitled,” Killer Mike reflects on the potential consequences of standing on his own political views and morals, referencing the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Then, there’s “Reagan,” Killer Mike’s most notable record in his catalog. Mike details the roles politicians like Ronald Reagan had in furthering the exploitation and oppression of Black people. Similarly, he cites the loophole within the 13th Amendment that allows modern slavery. Throughout the song, Killer Mike addresses the racial implications of the war on drugs on black people, government surveillance, and trickle-down economics. The chilling production from El-P and the conviction in Killer Mike’s voice make the song such a masterful statement of American corruption.

The text on the album’s cover reads, “Readers of the books / Leaders of the crooks.” The phrase encapsulates the album concisely as the album consists of thoughtful and educational topics but also embraces Killer Mike’s southern gangsta rap roots. There are personal and emotional songs like “Willie Burke Sherwood” but Killer Mike leaves plenty of room for bangers. There is the previously-mentioned tough southern rap posse cut, “Big Beast” ft. T.I., Bun B, and Trouble, the explosive “Go!,” and the comical yet descriptive “Jojo’s Chillin.”

The Legacy of R.A.P. Music

Overall, R.A.P. Music is undoubtedly Killer Mike’s magnum opus. It is widely regarded as Killer Mike’s best album. The album is also his most well-known and critically acclaimed work. It showed the undeniable chemistry between Killer Mike and El-P and their potential as a duo. Such a monumental release paved the way for the abrasive sound and politicized style and subject matter of Run The Jewels. With the highly-anticipated solo follow-up to R.A.P. Music releasing within the next month, the album’s longevity and the Run The Jewels catalog have set the bar incredibly high.