After releasing critically acclaimed albums in 2013 and 2014 under the name Run the Jewels, rapper Killer Mike and rapper-producer El-P are back again with Run the Jewels 3. Originally slated for a January release, the group dropped the record three weeks early on Christmas day, ruining many publication’s best-of-2016 lists.
Run the Jewels is known for two things: sharp, topical, boastful lyrics and unique, heavy electronic beats. Here, the group excels at both. The duo touches on politics, such as on “Legend Has it” (Went to war with the Devil and Shaytan / He wore a bad toupee and a spray tan), but still have fun with playfully sinister lyrics that display cunning wordplay, such as on “Hey Kids (Bumaye)” (Say hello to the masters, on behalf of the classless masses / We showed up, ski masks, picks, and axes to murder asses). Words like these can only be accompanied by music by El-P, and of course he delivers.
Run the Jewels 3, like its predecessors, has just the right amount of features. Danny Brown makes an appearance on “Hey Kids (Bumaye)” and it’s a match made in heaven. His signature high-pitched voice flows effortlessly over El-P’s grimy production. Singer and frequent collaborator BOOTS returns again, this time on single “2100,” the most unique track on the record. Released the day after the election, El-P hoped for the song to be a calm response to the negativity that many felt in America on that Wednesday in November. The fast waltz beat is something that is rarely heard in hip-hop, but here it works.
Two features capture considerable attention over others. The first is renowned saxophonist Kamasi Washington, whose 2015 album The Epic is often hailed as a return to the golden era of jazz. On “Thursday in the Danger Room,” Kamasi’s crooning saxophone carries the chorus in a rather beautiful way. It’s the most unique feature in hip-hop since Sufjan Stevens graced The Roots’ 2011 album Undun.
The second notable feature was a total surprise, as he remains uncredited in the album’s tracklisting. Zach de la Rocha, the legendary frontman of Rage Against the Machine, closes “A Report to the Shareholders / Kill Your Masters” with a fiery verse, proving that he’s still at the forefront of political rap. It immediately brings to mind his feature on the hit song “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” from Run the Jewels 2.
There were a lot of doubts about how well Killer Mike and El-P could keep it up after their previous efforts. It’s very rare that a hip-hop group releases albums with such a consistent quality, but Run the Jewels managed to knock it out of the park. With the release of this new record and the completion of a trilogy of great albums, they’ve cemented their place among the legendary duos, with the likes of Outkast, Mobb Deep, and Eric B. & Rakim.
Run the Jewels will be playing in Nashville at Marathon Music Works on Tuesday, January 17th. Their live shows are infamously not to be missed.
Key Tracks: “Talk to Me”, “Legend Has It”, “Hey Kids (Bumaye)”, “2100”, “A Report to the Shareholders / Kill Your Masters”