Run The Jewels - El-P and Killer Mike

New album shortly, deserve their own thread for discussion.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/reggieugwu/premiere-run-the-jewels-zack-de-la-rocha#1gfkg4z

^this sounds dope as fuck btw

Zach murders it

also: meow the jewels is almost certainly happening
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1957344648/meow-the-jewels
if you had told me six years ago there was $45k to be made with a Killer Mike album built of cat sounds

who knew the internet had an interest in cats?

i don't like cats but i am psyched about seeing them live again

them = rtj, not cats
i want cats to live (just not in my home bc i am allergic)

jfc this track

I was never a fan of rage but I think I'd buy a El-P/De La Rocha collaborative album

Wasn't there supposed to be one ten years ago?

ambivalent about de la rocha but mike kills it

xp el-p said they were working on one in the late 90s that fell through. Not sure how well he would have fit over the Funcrusher style beats though.

De la Rocha's verse... eh. Dude sounds rusty.

i mean he never was a rapper in any traditional sense. for a dude presumably out of the game a long time, he sounds a lot better than i expected, and objectively solid.

idk maybe i just like the song as a whole too much to complain

I have never been a fan of De la Rocha's voice but for some reason I can't stop imagining his verse here being rapped by Mr. Hanky

did anyone ever really rate him as a lyricist/singer? I always had a hard time taking RATM seriously, they seemed mostly a vehicle for sloganeering.

their myriad fans enjoyed his vocal stylings, yes

i meant anyone on ILX who is anticipating this album

during a few years in the late 90s I was pretty into RATM albums, yeah

i'm not sure how to feel about this exactly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cJLMourASE

Seems bacony but not enough to ruin RtJ

and this is out as of like 2.30am
http://www.runthejewels.net/

gangsta boo!

to clarify: they did a mailing to everybody on their mailing list with a link to a zip of the full album + liners

Run The Jewels @runjewels

COME AND GET IT! #RTJ2 #JewelRunners http://bit.ly/1thM7Ok

We got the drugs y'all wanted
Take a suck on the tail of a comet
I’m so high you a hobbit

got it
just what i needed!!!
looking forward to the show A LOT

just got the email!!!

did anyone ever really rate him as a lyricist/singer? I always had a hard time taking RATM seriously, they seemed mostly a vehicle for sloganeering.

sigh the counter hipster is strong in this one

RTJ is 0/10 because El P can't rap sounds annoying and the beats are tiring, same as the first album

i kinda feel like ppl front on Rage but then if "bulls on parade" comes on the radio everyone is secret "wowow wowow....wowow wowow COME WIDDIT NOW!" and bobbing their heads

where the fuck the warden
and when you find him we don't kill him we just waterboard him
we killing them for freedom cause they tortured us for boredom
and even if some good ones die fuck it the lord'll sort em

0/10?? what a disaster for run the jewels

I don't understand the the interest with RTJ please someone explain in less than 1 word.

http://www.hey.fr/tools/emoji/ios_emoji_smiling_face_with_heart-shaped_eyes.png

^^^^ OTM

raccoon tell us who can rap better among currently active rappers, you know you want to

can't we just do this on ask rt instead of shitting up the thread

ugh fine i just wanted to hear him try to sell us on travi$ scott...again

I don't understand the the interest with RTJ please someone explain in less than 1 word.

Take your questions over here:

https://twitter.com/VoxExplainer

the selfawaredness of RTJ is so cheesy and puke. If El P isn't already the most annoying man in rap, when he becomes this pastiche of El P with the cynical express goal to sell tickets to white hipsters he becomes unbearable. everything around this RTJ shit stinks, did you even see that press release after it leaked? "hey guise we simply couldn't wait any longer to let ya;ll hear out record so here it is! All you chainers out there we love you and mean everything to us now don't forget to buy tickets, because they're selling out fast btw!" puke.

ban Racoon Tanuki, rap album of the year

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/run-the-jewels-how-2014s-hardest-rap-duo-came-back-from-oblivion-20141024

xpost aaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha dude who was wilding out about ariel fucking pink is talking about "self-awaredness" and saying it's cheesy/bad, good game though, thanks for playing

plus i forgot music acts shouldn't encourage people to sell tickets

also even if i disliked el-p no way in hell is he the most annoying man in a genre that includes tyga, big sean, wiz khalifa, asher roth, wale...need i go on

how dare they make money through one of the only avenues left available to them

idg rt's trolling game, too slapdash incoherent, C-

album made rt puke. existence justified.

only about a third of the way in but that mike/el-p article is great whiney

Yeah, really tremendous stuff.

That last-minute second-to-last graf needs another pass, though!

ha, yeah probably.

DOES ANYNE ELSE THINK IS NOT AS GIOD AS VOL.1???? (BUT STILL REALLY GOOD)

i like the first half better than the second but i've only listened to it 1x

I've listened to it three times and it's great
i'm gonna need a month or so before i compare it to anything really

great piece whiney

^

heh, looking at the tracklist i saw "BOOTS" and thought it was Boots Riley, which would have fit with some of the other features.

i'm listening to it in reverse order for some reason and it's great so far.

Yeah, tracks 9/10/11 are remarkably strong
close your eyes is as good a single as i've heard this year

Boots Riley woulda been sweet

I prefer the first half, but with that being said: "I wear sweatpants to funerals, guns to lunch" = fav line of the album

again, great piece whiney. had no idea both these guys hit personal lows after tasting fame.

yeah kudos whiney that was a great read

"Their banter is constant, caustic, occasionally filthy and often hilarious."

Imagine reading anything from rolling stone on hip hop, the most consistently awful place to read about it. All you need to know about audience of this album.

oh lawd this one here

RT, happily suggest a single better rap artist profile you've read this year thx

the FP button still works, y'all

I'm not allowed to post an opinion on music, if it's about an album you like? Perfect.

stfu and opine

hahahaha dude why do you act like such a chooch about everything?

(xpost)

At what point in that last post were you talking about the album? xp

"Festival crowds have grown. They started seeing fan art and tattoos and "titty pics" and girls making their instantly iconic "pistol and fist" logo out of Hulk Hands."

I've talked about how El P sucks, is an idiot etc. El P is in it for the money. Killer Mike is in it for the money. They're not saying anything on the album. Just lame brags. Uninspired try to be cool production. Only thing ElP ever did was Cold Vein, and it was only great because he was kept off the mic, everyone knew that. His one v on that album was ok though.

Yeah man they're really in it for that free download money

I have never listened to/cared about El-P before RTJ tbh

lol @ in it for the money. those greedy musicians! where will their greed end

everyone knew that, gawd

true story: Cube recorded his lame brags on Amerikkka's Most Wanted for a pack of twizzlers

Yeah man they're really in it for that free download money

I give up. Point proven.

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha OMG MUSICIANS ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY BREAKING NEWS GUYS

but wait, wait, wait...i bet travi$ scott isn't, and isn't making lame brags, even though he dropped two free albums and makes money off concert tickets and merch, which sounds like an identical business model to mike and el...so i fail to see the difference except the latter two can rap and the former is passable at best

but caucasoids listen to it so its trash right

Finally getting around to this and it's an instant banger. FUIUD Sockoon Tanuki.

Point? lol

travi$ scott is in it for the UK street cred

I have never listened to/cared about El-P before RTJ tbh

Yeh of course you haven't because people listening to this album aren't long time hiphop fans. You're not who I'm talking to.

i mean, they are making great money from everything besides the record itself, but it's kind of a miracle that dudes who start rapping in the '90s can have this particular kind of success right now. i love it.

xp oh lord

i hope everyone makes money! you need it to live

Yeh of course you haven't because people listening to this album aren't long time hiphop fans.

So wait, longtime hiphop fans care about El-P even though he can't rap?

Yeh of course you haven't because people listening to this album aren't long time hiphop fans. You're not who I'm talking to.

but... I am listening to this album. the first one was great. I am confused.

sorry for name-dropping but i ended up having dinner w/their manager over the summer and my impression is that everyone involved with RTJ are smart, talented people who have more than paid their dues.

I like this assumption that all long-time hiphop fans have been studiously following the career of El-P.

pouring one out for racoon tanuki
rtj made that raconteur pukey

RT is a hip hop Morbs and El-P is his Drones.

guys I am pretty sure RT knows I have been listening to hip hop since before he was born, let's be fair

hahahaha yes obviously none of us RTJ fans have listened to golden era hip-hop, we're all like "kool g who?" and "gang starr? those two Rs weird me out omg lol" and "tupac is only a one hit wonder because of that thugz mansion joint with nas rite" and "bizarre ride 2 the boringside"

like you have to be taking the piss out of us dude i've heard of troll dedication but this is next level shit

I like this assumption that all long-time hiphop fans have been studiously following the career of El-P.

You added the studiously following part. I've been trying to avoid him, but not knowing who he is...

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha OMG MUSICIANS ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY BREAKING NEWS GUYS

Check this shit out.

Super stoked to get home and DL this.

hahahaha yes obviously none of us RTJ fans have listened to golden era hip-hop, we're all like "kool g who?" and "gang starr? those two Rs weird me out omg lol" and "tupac is only a one hit wonder because of that thugz mansion joint with nas rite" and "bizarre ride 2 the boringside"

like you have to be taking the piss out of us dude i've heard of troll dedication but this is next level shit

Your attention to my indifference to RTJ is telling though. It's just not good music, I advise you to get over your insecurity with your tastes.

if we're gonna be pedantic (and this IS ILM) I didn't say I didn't know who he was, I said I didn't listen to/care about him

tbf RTJ totally pushes my old man rap buttons, I dunno about other people, but it seems on some level that that's by design.

xp

Look I'm not trying to get into this. I didn't realise this was a fan only board. I'll let you enjoy your album without my criticisms which are getting people wound up.

xxpost nah i'm sitting here laughing my ass off during a lull at work over your shit, and i'm trolling back at you because you troll literally everybody

as to insecurity over my taste i've been regularly posting in the taylor swift thread and have no trouble saying it cant wait for how you'll attempt hurt my feelings over it

Yeh of course you haven't because people listening to this album aren't long time hiphop fans. You're not who I'm talking to.

― Raccoon Tanuki, Friday, October 24, 2014 4:05 PM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The thing is, that, YES, RTJ is the rare non-pop-minded group that connects people who "don't even listen to rap" to longtime nerds and hip-hop heads. The last time that happened even remotely on this level was, what, Madvillain?

RT people were getting upset when you got nasty towards Whiney's article, not as much the album.

xpost probably, and to be honest did madvillain even get *that* popular outside of those who were bound to listen to it anyway?

I'm hardly a whiney stan but that's a good article. I also liked that time he interviewed E-40.

Thanks for all the kind words about the article, guys, seriously!

And, yeah, I'm not bothered by Raccoon Tafuckboi's nastiness about it one iota. Some seriously weak zings on that front

RT only posts on ILX for the money.

gettin that mad troll cheddar

RT people were getting upset when you got nasty towards Whiney's article, not as much the album.

ok wait apologies for that b/c I didn't even realise the guy who posted it also wrote it until closer inspection

The thing is, that, YES, RTJ is the rare non-pop-minded group that connects people who "don't even listen to rap" to longtime nerds and hip-hop heads. The last time that happened even remotely on this level was, what, Madvillain?

OK but that sadness b/c mv was very very good, innovative, creative, fresh, and in no way comparable

as to insecurity over my taste i've been regularly posting in the taylor swift thread and have no trouble saying it cant wait for how you'll attempt hurt my feelings over it

I have no problems with t.s but she's only the second most talented t.s out there right now w/r

the smiths have been retired for a while now

she's only the second most talented t.s out there right now w/r

irl lol

i'm not hurt, tanook, speak your mind bruh

xpost i literally am near crying from laughing so hard at this shit

"I have no problems with t.s but she's only the second most talented t.s out there right now w/r"

HAHA yes classic RT!!!

jeez am i gonna haveta killfile again, i suppose it's less ethically dodgy when the poster is a particularly thick sock

t.$

i'm not hurt, tanook, speak your mind bruh

no but seriously im not a dick like that i wouldn't have called you out like that had i known that's in fact what i was doing

so odd that what put these guys together was Adult Swim; is there a good thoughtpiece about williams street's impact/influence from and on hip hop?

Raccoon Tanuki your aesthetic criteria are so weird and out-of-touch. which is fine as long as you recognize, & don't try to foolishly potshot a "target audience" that is much bigger/represents a larger % of the total 2k14 rap fanbase than you probably realize

im glad racoon (or someone who doesnt seem to care about being perfectly rational and logical and consistent) is posting about music.

not heard this album yet but there is something weird about how much crit-love el-p has gotten, maybe since the first RTJ and the killer mike album he made. its nice and more straightforward, this newer phase of his, but i miss the 'i want to fuck with your head' motives of the def jux era. even if it has been a steady trajectory hes been on since ill sleep when youre dead. killer mike will always be a personal favourite, but i might be the only person who prefers his verse on snappin and trappin to most of what hes done later (though i do like the first allegiance tape). theres always been something a little contrived about his work with el-p, i cant quite explain it. all the tag team finesse is there, you can tell they know what works about epmd and run dmc, etc, but i never get the feeling these two really *connect*. theres just something that clearly appeals to people about el-p producing a street-rap guy, and about killer mike being produced by a former nerd/backpack guy. its like everyones dreams for a reversal of rap's bifurcation in one swoop. old-school heads like the nods to the mid/late 80s, younger kids like... well im not sure what they like actually. is their audience a slightly older one? sometimes i think i would have liked it more if el-p just took more of a sage francis type career route.

actually iirc when i saw them live in london, the crowd was mostly older guys and that kind of 'yeah this is what real rap is meant to be' audience. which is obv the type of thing a lot of non-rap listeners who only like rap when its more right-on seem to like.

...obv, while allowing a bit of petty-street-crime vicariousness via the group's title. was weird to get the email addressing their fans as 'jewel runners'. oooh, so dangerous.

Kinda wish there was less El-P rapping on this one tbh. And fewer guest stars.

Yeah he's OK but the draw of the whole thing is killer mike

Fave guest spot is easily gangsta boo.

El P has never accepted that he can't and shouldn't rap. Guess why.

I used to love this song but this is as good as el-p ever got at rapping, as it he can't do it. He just blurts out loads of words. The beat at this time was incredible, obviously. This "jewel runner" cash grab he and mike are doing now is just lame to anyone who's a hip hop head for longer than a few years. It's like preferring modern more accessible and clever marketing Nasir Jones over 90s Nas. There's no defence for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k47VVqMiUTg

I understand clowning El-P for being "a red-headed goon with no flow" (as one ILXor memorably put it) but if you can't hear that his skills have improved since he started working with Mike then I don't know what to tell you

The dude has lyrics, check the first verse of A Christmas Fucking Miracle or his verse on Crown. You expect him not to rap?

To me this is all about image. Get yourself a cool cover and a cool name and an under the radar status your half way to making it.

You expect him not to rap?

[Verse 5: El-P]
With the pull of a pin a grenade
Get a crowd to they feet and a soul to its options
I'm a fool for the win I been made
To be loud while these other cats drowning in softness
In a urn or the dirt get tossed in
With a grin or a smirk get accosted
I'm a sin on the verse like a kid in a hearse
Or a nun in a cum shot (stop it)

This "jewel runner" cash grab he and mike are doing now is just lame to anyone who's a hip hop head for longer than a few years.

you should stop saying demonstrably untrue shit like this, young man

StillAdvance, the whole "these guys come from two different worlds" element that you think is the appeal got people to pay attention to R.A.P. Music MAYBE

If you don't think the appeal of the RTJ albums are more about what they have in COMMON, then i don't know what to tell you

Part of what I like about RtJ is that their antisocial schtick basically beats all the young 'horrorcore' cats at their own game, probably cuz they're wise enough to focus on craft & wit over some naive concept of 'expression'

xxxp that's not bad, i'm not sure what you're trying to say

this has held up to 24 hours of looped listening so far and kept me from trying taylor swift's album

"StillAdvance, the whole "these guys come from two different worlds" element that you think is the appeal got people to pay attention to R.A.P. Music MAYBE"

not saying its the only reason, but im sure theres something people like about RTJ in the same way they like about seeing idk, mel gibson and danny glover lol

I don't even know what point you're trying to make anymore

his point: rap is for raccoons

Whiney, great article.

And I think I'll stop reading this thread now.

Nothing El-P does has replay value to me, hope this one is different.

I love this one more than the last.

What music does this Tanuki guy listen to? If I don't much care for it I'm going to head over to those threads and tell him that his music is not good and he is bad for liking it.

Naaaaaaaah

Meh, i'm not impressed with the album yet. It's very good and whatnot, but I have come up to terms with the fact that RTJ is just not my cup of tea.

please don't associate with me with racoon

Big difference between "not my cup of tea" and "fuck this sucks objectively and only idiots who want to be cool would like it."

being insulted by RT is actually sort of gratifying

btw tanuki are basically raccoons so isn't his name redundant?

i have to admit i found the last RtJ album to be a little predictable and samey compared to the KM and EL-P albums that had preceded it. it felt very much like a side project. curious to hear this one though.

It's a "side project" in the same sense that skateboarding videos are

i honestly can't imagine anyone who likes rap music not enjoying this on some level

What if they're dicks?

I'm not a huge RTJ enthusiast (although I did like the Killer Mike album El-P produced a lot) but his reasoning for disliking them is just really weird.

xxp ehhhhhh I wouldn't go nearly that far

i mean, i'm not saying the world should be i-i-i-i-love company flow/i wanna be down, I'm saying anyone with even a passing interest in rap music should be able to hear this record and say, at the very least, "This is pretty decent"

So far think I still like the first one better fwiw.

But still, whiney otm.

"this is better than mad decent" certainly

idk put a dick or clit in yr mouth and consider this album a lil more

It's a "side project" in the same sense that skateboarding videos are

― Vomits of a Missionary (bernard snowy), Saturday, October 25, 2014 8:26 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

explain

Wellll I'm pretty drunk but the point I was trying to male was that it's nothing but awesome highlight-reel-type shit

probably "highlight reels" woulda made the point clearer than "skateboarding videos" but hell that's where my mind went ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

i like the album, but it seems weirdly abrupt. every song seems like its been edited a little too sharply.

i like that about it. great running record (lol). don't really understand why track three is basically the doctor who theme. that and jeopardy. they watch tv i guess, like people

enjoyed yr article whiney

btw tanuki are basically raccoons so isn't his name redundant?

actually tanuki aren't racooons at all. The mystery deepens

this is a pretty fun exciting album but the production/songwriting is kind of foursquare... as w/ the first RTJ the song structures are very conservative and samey. the stuff on the solo albums was more ambitious in that respect./

yeah samey puts the finger on the problem for me, not enough diversity between songs for me to keep attention. not surprinsgly, crown is my favorite track on this.

thank u thomp

btw tanuki are basically raccoons so isn't his name redundant?

No, you're wrong. Which as you listen to RTJ in your free time is probably a running theme for you.

i honestly can't imagine anyone who likes rap music not enjoying this on some level

.

So, your thing is you're like a relentless dick who can't stand to see anyone enjoy something you don't.

Oh My Darling Don't Cry = oh my

xpost the trollsperation (troll desperation) will not be denied

run the jewels is not for children

http://tagthejewels.tumblr.com/

I lol a lot at

my business card says you're in luck
I do two things I rap and fuck

yeah I love that
so much better than "My name is El-P; I produce & I rap, too!"

RT always reaching for the next burn

trollsperating with anticipation

Really I never took El-P too seriously as a rapper until this, maybe will go back and listen to older stuff now

no need to go that far back... first side of Cancer 4 Cure is dope tho

actually now that I think of it, all of his solo albums have been half good-to-great, half tedious

Fantastic Damage might be the most consistent but it doesn't have anything as straightforwardly compelling as "Up All Night" or "Oh Hail No"

i think if you like this you'd like cancer 4 cure

one thing in whiney's article that's very OTM: Ghetto Extraordinary by Killer Mike is a straight up classic hip hop album that never got released.

is it floating around though?

i got it a long time ago, seems totally mastered/finished i'm sure it's around, i'll see if i can find it

the concept of an unreleased albums seems so weird today

uh, i would like a copy of Ghetto Extraordinary; I never found one back in the day. YSI?

i don't know if i can find the files...it may be on a potentially dead ipod :/

yes please

a good friend of mine put this together: http://tagthejewels.tumblr.com

xp :(

A lot of what I love about this is the vibe btw the two of them, contrasting styles, brooklyn v. ATL, on top of the beat vs. behind, constant back-and-forth short verses like "trading fours" in jazz, generally good chemistry

yeah samey puts the finger on the problem for me, not enough diversity between songs for me to keep attention. not surprinsgly, crown is my favorite track on this.

― Van Horn Street, Sunday, October 26, 2014 4:43 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i think the *textures* of the songs--the quality of the samples, etc.--are diverse, but the song structures are kind of predictable and samey. i hope that makes sense.

one thing i do think is very true is that mike and el-p have kind of pushed each other to even denser, more inventive rhymes... they benefit from the friendly competition, not that rappers are ever without a sense of competition.

Ghetto Extraordinary

http://www49.zippyshare.com/v/64165742/file.html

Thanks

"i think the *textures* of the songs--the quality of the samples, etc.--are diverse, but the song structures are kind of predictable and samey. i hope that makes sense."

this is totally right. every song seems like its been put through some preset kind of RTJ sequencer. it gets a bit mechanical by the end. i was thinking its like a mixtape, but without a dj shouting between songs. like the songs seem more or less like they should be blended, they *seem* to pretty much be all about the verses. i was in fact thinking that i might like the album more if it was mixed. the fact that its all so abruptly edited together just made me think that even more. the other thing the album made me think is that i would seriously LOVE some accappelas from killer mike over old el-p songs like deep space 9mm.

curious to hear what everyone who feels like this is a "samey" album will think about it when it's all cat sounds

it depends on how many breeds of cat are involved

you punks is pussies, proverbial persian panther posers

mewo

*meow

hey guys ghetto extraordinary could be yours! but i need to rescue a bunch of MP3s from an aged old school iPod is there a way to do that?

posted upthread already

Real music's gonna last, all that other bullshit, here today gone tomorrow.

aaahahahahahahahahahahaha oh man trolluki did you get that quote from it being sampled on pound cake/paris morton music or count bass D or are you gonna drop dat jazz knowledge cred on us, you are just the best

to quote the great desus nice "DIS SHIT DONT STOP"

http://www.theilsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/F89-COVER_960.jpg

I have no idea who pound cake or paris morton is

aaahahahahahahahahaha so which source is it then? or are you gonna claim that you originated that phrase i mean honestly please do im fucking dying over here

begborrowsteal was where I first heard it

why?

stop feeding the raccoon, let him get his garbage from the can

sorry it was dwight spitz i think, maybe bbs too?

xpost ugh fine its just so much fun

Seriously you are letting one annoying sock hijack a thread on an album most of us really like, it's annoying. Just ignore him.

But it's cute. He sits up and uses his little thumbs to type.

you all must have missed the great "follow-up album" "debate" in the D'Angelo thread

D'Angelo - The New Album (2013? Please?)

Omg that is some stupidity

to be fair it's hard to make salient points when you're typing upside down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdccCD_6Gf8

RTJ2 is a follow up to RTJ.

Not every album/thing by the same artist is counted as a follow up.

My fellow jewel runners.

hey good piece whiney! that was sweet how they became besties and stopped doing drugs, had no idea re the level of their success btw

"El-P and Killer Mike individually are both fantastic and no surprise this album is. To me it's the true essence of Hip Hop, lyrical wizardry and some great beat production by El-P that occasionally sounds old School east coast style, El-P does more than deliver beats his flow and wordplay is equally good... Killer Mike delivers some great Southern accented (that'd be South US, obviously) rhymes whilst El-P has a New Yorker accent and they both seem to bounce off each other seamlessly and it makes for fresh introspective.

Recommended if you like pure Hip hop all about the rhymes and music, no women/money crap delivered. "

My Amazon review. 5/5.

I forgot to say how much I loved the zombie hands mixed in with the old skool hip hop gold chain in that ironic way, the clever thing is the other zombie hand isn't even holding a gun and doesn't even have an arm. Design is on some real ill tumblr shit.

Not every album/thing by the same artist is counted as a follow up.

"Today Artist X released her first new album since her last album, which is actually a follow-up to the album before that, as well as a sequel to her first album, which was a follow-up to all the albums she'd listened to before turning 20."

Is that from Pitchfork

nah they havent reviewed it yet

but i cant imagine it'll be that much more cogent when they do

RT linking britisher amazon outlet, showing again he is the cross-atlantic arbiter

rocky trolled this thread purdy good

It's just not good music, I advise you to get over your insecurity with your tastes.

If anyone is a psychology student and needs a paragon example of projection...

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19968-run-the-jewels-run-the-jewels-2/

^^ ladies and gentlemen, the gangster yankee hotel foxtrot of reviews

It’s important to note that RTJ2 is an album—it’s on a real label and you can pay money to own it. And the transition from mixtape-to-album explains every progression El-P and Killer Mike have made in the past year.

The first album was on a real label and you can pay money to own it.

smh at 'fuckboy' in first line of that review

less critically revered innovators like the Geto Boys, Goodie Mob, and 8Ball & MJG

smh, lolling, smh

this is truly some next-level incoherent writing

2004 Animal Collective Back

pretty sure I never downloaded the free RTJ and just paid for it, smdh at this guy

also smdh at a music critic not getting the diff between critically revered and popularly acclaimed, because uhh... music critics love that trio

this is truly some next-level incoherent writing

― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Wednesday, October 29, 2014 11:05 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

great, my friend who i convinced to see this show with me is going to read this and think that we're going to be bombarded by fuckboys

People don't read the review. They see the bright red 9.0 BEST NEW MUSIC and then they click the Insound vinyl link. win-win

it wouldn't be that bad a review if he cut all the parts where he's channeling REALNESS

fwiw I'm probably setting the bar lower for him but I like Zach's verse.

Zack De La Rocha on "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" before the real thing comes through to spit some goofy, try-hard "Bombtrack"-style aggro braggadocio that doubles as the best verse of his life.

wow, can't tell if this is trying to damn with faint praise or not.

xxxpost goofy-ass writing aside i agree with the general thrust of the review, it is a notable step up from the debut

otm hurting 2 re: the "channeling realness" problem

Cohen's writing is becoming so incoherent and laced with conservative ideology I feel like he's morphing into Gavin McInnes

Also: great RS article, Whiney

man, i don't like this stuff at all. sounds like juggalofest stuff to me. i read whiney's thing though. glad they are happy and not poor no more. everyone should be happy.

from the fact review:

Is there anyone on earth right now who sounds like they’re having a better time than El-P and Killer Mike? And if so, how about that for a turnaround?

a turnaround for... anyone on earth?

lol

xxpost um wut

there are definitely criticisms i could see someone levying against RTJ2 and run the jewels in general but sounding like shit off of psychopathic records is not one of them

I am sometimes amazed by how many rappers (*cough* white rappers) really emulate El-P or Aesop Rock's flows.

Aesop Rock is a dude whose flow I could never take. Should I reconsider?

would actually rather listen to this as far as 2014 releases going back in time go. don't know who the juggalo with the weird eyeball is, but he adds some 21st century oxy kid rap fan authenticity to the proceedings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5VQTOBnsQg

idk this is the Run the Jewels thread, I have no other opinions here xp

xpost im never going to find anything bad to say about onyx, so thats a fair rejoinder

and i'm not saying the run the jewels stuff sounds like actual clown rap, just that i can see it going over big at an intimate gathering of juggalos. they like that kinda stuff.

yeah I bet they would do OK at gathering of juggalos

my friend went once to help do road crew/set up stuff for an indie wrestling promotion and he said everyone got killed except Ice-T

(everyone not on psychopathic records)

I think a lot of legit hip-hop acts play the clown circuit now though, don't they?

I mean

Gathering of the Juggalos 2012[ edit]
Main Stage:[ 13][ 14]
Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Anybody Killa, Cold 187um, Dark Lotus, Psychopathic Rydas, Geto Boys, Tech N9ne, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Mushroomhead, Rehab, Soulfly, Danny Brown, Slaine, Motown Rage, Zug Izland, Myzery, P.O.D., Swollen Members, Hed PE, Kottonmouth Kings, Static-X, Mack 10, Fear Factory, Kool Keith, Onyx, Millionaires (group), Master P, Prozak, ¡Mayday!, Jumpsteady, Rude Boy, Ric Flair

Violent J's West Side Party:[ 13]
The Pharcyde, Lil Eazy E, Warren G, Glasses Malone,

Shaggy 2 Dope & DJ Clay's Beast of The East:[ 13]
Raekwon, The Fat Boys, Rahzel, Biz Markie,

Twiztid's Dirty Dirty Party:[ 13]
Rittz, Lil Wyte, Haystak & JellyRoll, Project Pat, Lil Jon

i wonder when the juggalos will get into no wave/free jazz and if like arto lindsay and ken vandermark will eventually be playing their shows

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8TJYl4uc3lQ/TQi1rCot4EI/AAAAAAAACt4/Jw-c6zXp4Qs/s1600/coolio.jpg

think i'm holding out for a Juvenile/Ill Bill collab.

i should really go buy the new Juvenile album...

ill bill track with el-p on it from last year not so hot. ill bill track with HR from the bad brains on it was better actually.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkq2lhPSeQU

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19968-run-the-jewels-run-the-jewels-2

^^ ladies and gentlemen, the gangster yankee hotel foxtrot of reviews

Racoon-T wins again!

http://pad3.whstatic.com/images/thumb/2/22/Flip-Someone-off-with-Style-Step-7.jpg/670px-Flip-Someone-off-with-Style-Step-7.jpg

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/001/561/870/jose-canseco-middlefinger_display_image.jpg?1321310554

RIP finger

what's a #fuckboy?

I was actually looking for a picture of a spring-loaded fist popping out of a box but I found that instead

xp if you have to ask...

xxxpost haha yup, pic was close at hand thanks to the just-updated trolling canseco thread

I like this quite a bit more that RTJ1... El-P's beats feel a little less clumsy than usual. Wish he'd keep his mouth shut though.

my fave el-p thing will always be that instrumental company flow album. i think he's fine as a producer of fucked up sci-fi/industrial beats and stuff.

it's amazing how El-P beats at 80-90 bpm feel kinda dated but El-P beats (w/ similar textures) at 120-140 bpm fit really well into the contemporary landscape.

I still listen to Cold Vein once in a while, love the beats on that. Don't really find them "dated" tbh, not much else really sounds like them.

how fast was deep space 9mm? cos el-p was doing faster bomb squad-ish beats back in 2004.

and little johnny from the hospital still sounds amazing btw.

theres something much more smirky about el-p as a rapper these days though, less angst, more smug/smirk

deep space 9mm probably my fave el-p instrumental

just checked and it's like 116, but it doesn't have that half-time feel.

sci-fi boom-bap sounds throwback to me (or at least proto-Brainfeeder), but noisy trap (for lack of a better term) beats fit right into the sound of, like, festival EDM and mainstream rap.

Yeah Jordan you basicLly hit the nail on the head w/r/t the broad appeal of this album that I was trying to argue upthread with RT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR-MYxUGOas
probably postable to every thread on ilx but i opted for here

that pitchfork review did a great job of killing the hype.

On Letterman tonight...

Xp lol u dork

xxpost ok let's be out with this RT, enough people believe you to be a sock...

...are you chris ott

I have to admit, although I think he's a sock, the sarcastic amazon review threw me for a loop, like actually in-character doing a tongue-in-cheek amazon review is next level trolling

if andy kaufman were alive to be on ilx he would prob be RT

oh shit i think i just broke my brain with the idea of that

Racoon Tonyclifton

I like this album

Whiney killed it w his piece tho

xp Hurting I hate to burst your bubble but it looks like he just c+p'd some random Brit's review of the first RTJ

I don't think RT is a sock. Probably an old Hip Hop Infinity board refugee

This is okay.

Haven't enjoyed an artist profile as much as I enjoyed that RS piece in a long time. Great work on that; fantastic read

(I think my problem with RTJ boils down to: indifference to El-P's production choices; so much of what's there feels flattened out in a way that the entirety of the songs slip past me or something.)

(That said, love the backstory, the reviews, and the features. Wish the actual music inspired the same excitement.)

yeah the RS article was a great read (just joining the complimentary bandwagon here)

Thank you, Evan and ama!

yeah good stuff.

woke up in a cold sweat worried that someone may try to step to me at the show on monday (in the same college town where I just towed 15 motherfuckers' cars outta my parking lot on Halloween night)

someone please reassure me that all fans of this group are actually pussies, thx

P sure you will remain unsunned

no wait the other kind, unsonned, tho i imagine it will be a pale crowd

I'm just glad the club I'm seeing them at doesn't allow Hulk Hands

Watch out for white boys with AOL beefs

Thoroughly late to this but, Whiney, your piece on this is amongst the best music writing I've read all year, thanks! <3

yeah it's excellent. between that and 'Aphex and his friend talking shit over email' an entertaining few days for longass music writing

thanks guys!

i was cleaning the kitchen and listening to this and it made me feel totally grandiose, like in a good way.
i think oh my darling is my favorite track but it's hard to choose.

oh my

great article, whiney

haha

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2M1CDPIEAAhhj_.jpg

Really love this album, much more than the first one

Love that One Direction fans cross over with this album.

Yes, it's still crap.

the show on saturday was really fun although i gotta say that "love again" was missing a crucial verse without gangsta boo there

Yeah, her presence on that track is kinda the point, no?

xxpost oh raccoon you have so many more reasons to hate me than you even realise.

such a great year for gangsta boo

I posted this in the Michael Brown thread but seriously watch this speech by Killer Mike last night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQs7CWKHM9w&app=desktop

^^^
chills, seriously

killer mike for president

mike/el 2016

i look forward to the philip k dick-inspired campaign literature

I thought of Ferguson when I heard Early. Mike is such a mensch.

mike/el 2016

would buy a well-designed tshirt w/ this concept

tbrr i want to go to this show over and over again
seriously i danced the entire time and my feet hurt the next day
killer mike for president

oh wow you were there???

no, i was at the show in chicago on saturday, not last night!
i wish i had followed them to StL
also forgot to mention that they did "get it" just as i had hoped and it was awesome

I would like to give all thoughts and prayers to the people out there peacefully protesting. and I also give thoughts and prayers who could not hold their anger in, because riots are only the language of the unheard

straight out of church

OTM

going saturday, second time seeing them; first was as killer mike/el p in 2012 and was awesome
very psyched

a month later i may like this better than the first one!

Also:
http://noisey.vice.com/blog/killer-mike-interview-ferguson

StillAdvance, the whole "these guys come from two different worlds" element that you think is the appeal got people to pay attention to R.A.P. Music MAYBE

If you don't think the appeal of the RTJ albums are more about what they have in COMMON, then i don't know what to tell you

― ILOVEMASONNA (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, 25 October 2014 15:17 (1 month ago) Permalink

this is very otm

sure. but its a bit like a buddy movie. two guys... from different backgrounds... who have come together to fight a common cause. think of run the jewels as being like a rap lethal weapon or 48 hours. ;)

Rap lethal weapon would have to star Iggy Azalea and Foxy Brown

in RTJ' case, both of them are 'too old for this shit'.

but my point is just that yes, they have stuff in common, ie being older than most rappers, being in love with the 80s/with PE, having similar views on 'what rap is meant to be', both have been underdogs in different ways, both are now experiencing bigger success for the first time together, etc etc, but in spite of all that, they are from v diff worlds and backgrounds (as that RS piece makes obvious), and honestly, their audience is def not blind to that, never mind the racial make up of the group. it gives el-p a certain street element which he hasnt had before (even allowing for the fact he appears as a typical new york hardass), and gives mike a certain indie cred, which he didnt really have before either. in other words, theyre the perfect rap couple.

my impression is that the RtJ audience is more of an expanded version of el-p's old audience than a real crossover with what had been the core of mike's audience. but who knows.

well yeah, the audience is mostly el-p's, but i think its a lot of people who previously didnt like def jux too, ppl who thought they were too nerdy or underground or whatever, and like el-p more now cos he sounds like straighter hip hop.

lotta ppl who would necessarily know about a p hardcore southern street rapper knew about killer mike because of how prominently he was pushed and featured on outkast though, and mike was already a bit more skewed towards traditional NYC skills type rapping anyway it's not like this is sage francis and lil' boosie formed a group

cant decide whether sage/boosie would be cool or awful, leaning toward at least half awful

i meant "wouldn't" necessarily know obv (xpost)

my impression is that the RtJ audience is more of an expanded version of el-p's old audience than a real crossover with what had been the core of mike's audience. but who knows.

― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, November 26, 2014 10:23 AM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Having spent a lot of time with dudes, I get the sense that the audience is like, some older Def Jux heads, some folks who built with Mike along the Pledge series, and mostly young people approaching both of them for the first time

Mike's first (and last) major label/OutKast-endorsed album was 2003. He spent the following decade slowly building an indie hustle

yeah good point i mean i'm sure lots of the audience wouldn't know funcrusher plus if it bit them in the ass

we are old, we forget this sometimes

that's true.

i was easily the oldest woman i saw at the show (still i think i fit in ok). on the el platform on the way home i saw this dude who looked like classic metal dude -- looooong wavy hair. rings on every finger, one of those faces/stances where you could tell he had to defend himself at some point and i saw a wristband from the show on his arm. i mean, you can try to pigeonhole an audience if you want, but i am def not a def jux dude or an atlanta rap dude or a metal dude or a dude at all or an idiot who didn't know what she was getting herself into and i felt perfectly at home at this show. i was standing next to a young (like early 20s) kid who looked like he could be one of my students. i made a joke to him about the missing verse and he didn't recoil in horror although i think he was embarrassed when he realized what i meant. haha. i was there with ilxor gr8080. i had intended to go with my friend from college who is mother of two beautiful young children. i like the unselfconscious diversity of their audience tbrr.

it is super weird to me that i am now killer mike's "old audience" but fuggit, i'll still mosh

just a fun-loving teacher, joking with the youth about missing clits

now i'm embarrassed
but that is not untrue
:-/

pretty great occurrence imo

that feature's really really great, whiney. it also made me pine for atlanta.

also, no one copy-edits at rolling stone, huh?

Part of the reason they have a big young audience is they are heavily promoted by adult swim

And I think that their music also feels like "a good fit" for that audience

No-one copy edits ANYWHERE anymore. Except for at the Onion, strangely enough.

well, the reason I ask is one of the many various freelance gigs that keeps my rent paid is sub-editing at rock mags much less prestigious than Rolling Stone, so I was surprised to see the odd typo and repeated word in there.

but my main point was to say, awesome piece of writing whiney. did this run in the print mag too?

Apologies if this was mentioned elsewhere but I just found out about it:

http://hiphopsince1987.com/2014/mixtapes/killer-mike-sunday-morning-massacres-mixtape/

honestly i hope that what tanuki is saying about one direction fans is true. after watching that video upthread, i think it would do this world a lot of good if one direction fans had killer mike available as a resource to apprise them on issues affecting the black community. can we get him appointed to that title? "czar of boy band outreach", or something?

http://www.npr.org/2014/11/28/366619092/killer-mike-rap-has-given-me-voice

They did an Ask a Grown Man session for Rookie

http://www.rookiemag.com/2015/01/ask-a-grown-man-run-the-jewels/

wow -- this long since the thread revive!

meow the jewels never came out huh

that rookie bit was actually p good i thought! i mean there was some "guys are like this girls are like this" stuff but otherwise p good idk

meow the jewels never came out huh

they're still on tour

Huh, I thought I revived this a few days ago with the Marvwl covers. Guess I forgot to submit post or something.

Marvel

http://m.pitchfork.com/news/58091-run-the-jewels-get-marvel-comic-book-covers/

:/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkGwI7nGehA
the fight sequence from They Live as modern dance through the prism of police state as mutually assured destruction

I really like this, even more than the song itself.

Provocative video from Run The Jewels. I am an old man who yells at clouds when it comes to most rap music, preferring the stuff of my youth to anything new, but I think I should investigate RTJ a little more.

https://instagram.com/p/169KV_y1Jw/

"Mike, Killer"

:D

Here we go:

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/run-the-jewels-meowrly-stream

Great Colbert intro

http://youtu.be/2vr3i8P0R8k

Meow The Jewels is way better than it has any right to be.

^^^ this

like these guys, like their music, happy for their success, sick of hearing about 'em :)

i think meow the jewels might actually be their best album. i was never totally sold on RTJ before, but MTJ is pretty incredible. i wish all their albums were made like this now (with guest producers).

First single from RTJ 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpici_OpwyE

:)

http://i.imgur.com/6dnklDZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6dnklDZ.jpg

i wish ill on these men

RTJ3 just dropped

Yessssss

i like it :)

This is my least fave of the three - too long and mostly quite monochromatic. There are some definite bangers but the songs are structurally and sonically indistinct from each other. More guests would have been a big help.

I'm digging this a lot

"Call Ticketron" is so great, love the radio sample & Mike mimicking JJ Fad flow :)

having Tunde Adebimpe and Trina as guests on the same album is very "Run the Jewels"

call ticketron is a banger

Rolls great, more depth than I anticipated, after I learned there was an RTJ3. I had forgot about RTJ.

my biggest disappointment was finding out that the "Boots" feature was not by Boots Riley but some boring guy stealing his name

^^^

the other disappointment for me is that Danny Brown track cuz ugh jesus christ is that how his voice usually sounds? I know who he is but have never bothered to listen to him due to descriptions not being particularly appealing to my sensibilities and if that is his standard delivery um yeah I don't need any of that

but generally this is great, another solid entry

that's the 'Danny Brown voice'. i love it, but he also uses a low register on some tracks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksaGN5mwAzk

I'm grateful that someone else finally said "ugh the Danny Brown voice."

i am not fond of it

it grew on me, but that's more of a danny brown thread opinion

master p-in' on these lost europeans

i've been saying "ugh Danny Brown voice" for years. if he ever makes an album that's all like Pac Blood i'm there.

New song with Lorde

New rtj track with Lorde https://youtu.be/OQAnXxoUnw0

woah

they’re opening for her tour, kind of an interesting combo. thinking about going

RTJ4 dropping on Friday as a free release. Looking forward to it.

*download

ooh la la is a fucking jam

Can't wait to hear the Mavis Staples track

they should append Mike's amazing televised speech the other day to the beginning or end of this record.

RTJ4 out for download now

Still puzzled by some of the blowback I saw for his speech on Twitter, even saw a few tweets suggesting they change their names to "Lick The Boots". I guess because Killer Mike owns some property, he's a landlord and not to be trusted? Or is it because his dad's a cop? I don't know.

some ppl were presumably mad that he was not in favor of looting, but it's not like he wasted any breath condemning demonstrators

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/65W1KF8hdW

— Killer Mike (@KillerMike) June 3, 2020

never waited for a download link this impatiently

thankfully it's also on streaming services

so far this seems like the leanest one since the first which is perfect for me rn

not 2 Chainz' finest appearance tho

That has been the low point so far. It sounds like his part was recorded over the phone, possibly on the set of Most Expensivest.

Just spotted the gang of four sample

El's production gets more DJ Shadow all the time

Loving this.

not 2 Chainz' finest appearance tho

― k*r*n koltrane (Simon H.), Wednesday, June 3, 2020 3:32 PM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

You're crazy, tity is spitting on this

Just spotted the gang of four sample

Thought it would be the ZDLR feat.

Massive and essential album. Why doesn’t Gangsta Boo get a “feat.” credit on “Walking in the Snow”?

Gangsta Boo was a great surprise

Repeat guests are consistently inconsistently credited

Missed opportunity for a surviving beasties cameo

about to recommend this to melomane

This is good.

not identifying features is a dumb new dad, so annoying, Lil Uzi Vert and 21 Savage did that too

but this is weirder because some are and some aren't, and like Greg Nice is just a sample but he's named

Kind of perfect timing lyrically with some songs. Walking in the Snow is FIRE. This part is just incredible:

They promise education, but really they give you tests and scores
And they predictin' prison population by who scoring the lowest
And usually the lowest scores the poorest and they look like me
And every day on evening news they feed you fear for free
And you so numb you watch the cops choke out a man like me
And 'til my voice goes from a shriek to whisper, "I can't breathe"
And you sit there in the house on couch and watch it on TV
The most you give's a Twitter rant and call it a tragedy
But truly the travesty, you've been robbed of your empathy
Replaced it with apathy, I wish I could magically
Fast forward the future so then you can face it
And see how fucked up it'll be
I promise I'm honest, they coming for you
The day after they comin' for me

And lastly, the line is particularly resonant.

Never forget in the story of Jesus, the hero was killed by the state

This is really good, might be my favorite RTJ yet. I really like Cochemea Gastelum's tenor sax on the closing track, it does a nice job of linking the record back to some of the more impassioned spiritual jazz of the '70s that is a forefather of this record in a few ways.

funny I think this is my least fave RTJ despite a few great tracks

also every time I hear "Goonies Vs ET" I keep yearning for a takeoff that never quite happens

have you tried phoning home?

This might be the best RTJ

As with the new Four Tet, it's one of those records I never really thought I would anticipate, but also never thought I would *need* as much as I did at the exact point it came out.

not cracking the lyrics so much yet but it's great already

I'm on my second spin and so far I'm with Simon. It's good and its timing is undeniable but beat-wise El-P's scaled greater heights in the past.

i’m a sucker for their shit. I didnt know they had this coming out. i thought i was sorta over how they do, and maybe i forgot them.
nah i’m still a sucker for this, it’s great.

that goonies/et mike delivery with percussion and then sax is electric like a taser.

As with the new Four Tet, it's one of those records I never really thought I would anticipate, but also never thought I would *need* as much as I did at the exact point it came out.

Really feeling this sentiment, and I felt the same thing about the Four Tet record too

Definitely not AotY shit, but Walking in the Snow is definitely Track of the Year so far for me. Gotta let the dust settle though, but damn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UUTnQdgl9A

love the spin on broken language in holy calamafuck

I'll pay good money to anyone who can edit out Pharrell's "geddit"

lol, he is the eternal herb

the performance of "Walking in the Snow" in the RTJ4 live vid released in the last couple days is sort of astonishing

but this is weirder because some are and some aren't, and like Greg Nice is just a sample but he's named

Listening to the album, I assumed he'd recorded the line clean for RTJ; watching the live performance, he's so precise that I'm sure of it.

The show is on HBO Max, Adult Swim, and youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMSw-E00Csw

this is interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsR0Bh_Q4AA