Run the Jewels

Run the Jewels

Run the Jewels is an American hip-hop duo formed by emcee/producer El-P and emcee Killer Mike. The group is active from 2013 to the present and is based in the United States. Its music is associated with conscious hip hop, experimental hip hop, hardcore hip hop, hip hop and political hip hop.

Formation and early releases

The project grows out of a 2012 collaboration between the two artists. El-P produces Killer Mike’s album R.A.P. Music, and the following week Killer Mike appears on “Tougher Colder Killer” from El-P’s Cancer 4 Cure. The pair’s work receives strong attention from media and audiences and leads to the “Into The Wild” tour in 2012. The next year they form Run the Jewels and release their debut album, Run the Jewels, through Fool’s Gold Records. The album is issued in 2013 and draws critical acclaim.

Albums and notable tracks

The duo’s second album, Run the Jewels 2, is released through Mass Appeal Records in 2014. Around the same period, they announce a traditional remix album for Run the Jewels 2 and a separate remix project, Meow the Jewels, which features cat sounds and guest production from Prince Paul, The Alchemist, Just Blaze, Dan the Automator and others. Run the Jewels 3 is digitally released in December 2016, ahead of its originally planned release date, with physical editions following in January 2017. The track “Legend Has It” from that album appears in the teaser trailer for Marvel’s Black Panther during Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals, and the song is later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Other Run the Jewels tracks appear in the 2017 film Baby Driver, in which Killer Mike also has a cameo. In September 2017 the duo releases “Mean Demeanor”, written for the video game FIFA 18.

Later work and live appearances

In 2018 Adult Swim releases a Run the Jewels and Rick and Morty crossover video for “Oh Mama”, a remix of the track from Run the Jewels 3 that uses sound effects from a Rick and Morty short. The video is directed by Juan Meza-León. The duo headlines the 2018 Adult Swim Festival. Their fourth studio album, RTJ4, is released in 2020 and receives widespread critical acclaim.

Critical reception

RTJ4 is reviewed very favourably, with Metacritic giving it a score of 89 from 26 reviews and AnyDecentMusic? rating it 8.8 out of 10.

Label

Run the Jewels is associated with the label Run the Jewels, Inc. The group’s earlier albums are released through Fool’s Gold Records and Mass Appeal Records.