Killer Mike & EL-P - Run The Jewels Album Review

     Thought I'd share my review for one of the top hip-hop LP's of the year, Killer Mike & El-P's Run The Jewels. This was a free LP that came out late June. It's the follow up to the 2012 album R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike, entirely produced by El-P. For those unfamiliar with Killer Mike, he's a southern rapper who's been prolific in the underground hip hop scene since the early decade. He brings one of the top mic presences in the game to each song he spits on. His last two albums, along with a live show earlier this year, solidified his status for me as one of the top mic presences in the game right now. Check for his features on any Outkast albums from the early part of the decade to get familiar. Or if you enjoy this, his more recent albums, I Pledge Allegiance to The Grind 2 and Pl3DGE, are definitely worth checking out as well.
     El-P can also hold his own as a rapper. He has his own experimental, innovative style. He spits near-impossible phrases and comes up with crazy metaphors and references regularly. El-P is also a talented producer. He produced one of the better produced hip hop albums of the early decade, The Cold Vein by Cannibal Ox, and even has some quality solo projects to his own name, namely Fantastic Damage and the more recent Cancer For Cure. 
      Needles to say, I was pretty excited when I first heard about these two artists working together for R.A.P. Music, and then again for Run The Jewels. Run The Jewels was a quality follow up project to R.A.P. Music, what I consider to be a top 10 hip hop project from last year. This time around, El-P actually gets to rap along with Killer Mike on the tracks. The two rappers go back and forth spitting crazy verses throughout. No bullshit in between.The opening track is a perfect example of this. Then the second song, Banna Clipper, is a stand out, with a killer verse from Big Boi:

This next song, in my opinion, is another one of the better songs on the album and has an accompanying music video. 36 Chain:



Killer Mike & El-P have great chemistry. The two working together is one of the better things to happen to in the hip-hop scene in a while.

    The album is a lot of back and forth like those tracks. There are some story telling tracks here too though, like on Sea Legs. DDFH is another stand out (my personal favorite):





And then the album wraps up with Get It, a quality track, followed by the last track, A Christmas Fucking Miracle. This song is a crazy ending track to a badass summer LP. Maybe the best since Acid Rap.

     The whole project overall is a bit repetitive, especially with the production. However, when the production's at its best, it's fucking top notch. Sometimes, the subject matter doesn't change up enough either, although I think the lyricism makes up for it. The album often blends together too much as well,  but Run The Jewels as a whole is still a great follow up project to R.A.P. Music. Definitely of one of the better hip hop projects of the year and worth checking for if you haven't already.


Best Songs: DDFH, Sea Legs, 36 Chain, Banana Clip,  Run The Jewels


  ** check for R.A.P. Music as well if you like this and haven't already **



 - G.C.