Run The Jewels 4 - Run The Jewels: Review
is the pairing of Atlanta rapper and Southern hip-hop legend Killer Mike alongside producer/rapper and experimental rap veteran El-P. The pair first linked up on Killer Mike's R.A.P Music album in 2012 before pairing up under the RTJ moniker the next year. The duo went on to release 3 critically acclaimed hip hop records over the next 4 years highlighted by the transcendent hardcore hip-hop modern classic Run The Jewels 2 in 2014.
Review By Lavender:
Just like everybody on earth I love Run The Jewels. Killer Mike and EL-P came from very different places but the sound they have crafted together is unique, hard-hitting and politically charged. From some of the most hilarious vile lyrics to the most witty and revolutionary there is no shortage of creativity between the pairing and they have been amazing on one record after another. Even with expectations as high as they are on RTJ4 the duo still manages to go above and beyond as they crafted one of the best albums on 2020.
The record had two singles and I liked them both. They serve as the first two tracks on the record here and they're just as great in context. Yankee And The Brave was the lead single and it rocks just as fucking hard now as it did when it was initially released. The production on the song is so hard with gunshot percussion banging in the background over some of the hardest verses Mike and El have spit since RTJ2. This ridiculously hard opener is followed up by the other single Oh La La which features one of the most outside the box hooks in any RTJ song. While I don't think Greg is the best singer in the whole world it is still surprisingly infectious. El and Mike both get a pair of verses on the song and they go over really well in the dense instrumental. That instrumental is populated with rapidly traded out crunchy percussion and sampled background vocals. Finally the lyrics are as vile and funny as the pair have always delivered on songs like this and I consider it another highlight.
Almost the entire record is highlights so lets pick it up right where we left off with out of sight. Once again the beat is absolutely insane El is really at the top of his game with an instrumental that is not only catchy but features heart pounding percussion as well as spacey vocal samples that fly in and out of the mix. The only reason a beat this good doesn't take over the song is because Mike and El are firing on all cylinders with confrontational and uncompromising bars with an in your face demeanor. 2 Chainz honestly fits into the track better than I anticipated even though the beat does sort of overpower him but he brings a sharp flow and charisma nonetheless. holy calamafuck is a two part song that starts off with a simple but hard-hitting pair of verses where El-P in partiuclar shows off some of his rhyming talent. The second half totally blows this away however with an intoxicating bass, heavy beat and a transition into a more socially and politically charge lyrical style. Mike is the highlight of the second half where he absolutely takes on all challengers and comes out on top, great song. goonies vs. E.T is like the loud quiet loud dynamic of grunge music but applied to rap. The insane fast paced verses transition into a slower almost devilish chorus. The street corner percussion samples in the beat sound great and only two MC's of this caliber could fit so perfectly into a beat this wild.
walking in the snow is it, it's just it. Not only is it an incredibly display of the talents of everybody involved but it is the type of song the world needed right now. The Gangsta Boo hook is hard as fuck and speaking of hard I'm not sure how long it has been since I heard political commentary that was so confrontational and impactful as it is on this song. Mike's verse on the track is something really special an despite the fact that it was recorded last year the relevancy of the song is shocking and the immense display of talent and awareness reminds me of his amazing Reagan song that landed on my Songs of the Decade list last year, incredible. Speaking of incredible JU$T features Pharrell and Zach De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine fame once again collaborating with RTJ and sees the talented group coming together to make something amazing. The Pharrell hook is flat out amazing not only because he manages to fit in such slick and witty commentary into it but it is also spectacularly catchy. Mike is solid as always but El-P and Zach De La Roca deliver the tracks marquee verses specifically El's insanely slick and smart performance and writing this song is another big highlight.
Pulling The Pin is the next big collaboration and it features a hook from legendary soul singer Mavis Staples and some wailing electric guitar courtesy of Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age. The song is a threatening but calculated attack on western capitalism and those that it steps on in order to succeed. Mike absolutely steals the show with a fiery verse but everything about the song is great from top to bottom. As always the closing track is the longest of the bunch and is yet another highlight in a line of fantastic closers. Mike's verse kicking off with the loss of his mother and his history in Atlanta is incredibly gripping and powerful and puts a poignant note on a track with some great lyrical and instrumental highlights throughout. Not only is the song great but the 80's buddy cop TV show style skit that ends the track off and connects it back to the opening song is also an amazing way to tie the record up.
The record doesn't really have any misses necessarily but there are two tracks towards the end that I consider the weakest of a great bunch. Never Look Back is an interesting enough track where Mike and El explore their very different pasts and how as the title suggest they refuse to look back, given how successful they have been I think it makes sense too. The song is a series of shorter verses that just fails to build up as strong of a momentum as the other ones here despite displaying the pairs ability to write great lyrics. The Ground Below has an amazing beat it sounds like when Eminem tries to remix some 80's rock song but does it really lazily except El does it perfectly. The major issue I have with the song is that the hook is a bit messy and doesn't do much for me. Pairing this with verses that are just decent compared to the rest of the record I think the song is just okay.
2014's Run The Jewels 2 is a once in a lifetime caliber of rap record but somehow Killer Mike and El-P have managed to do it again. With a shorter set of tracks that are just as consistent and display just as much talent RTJ4 is one of the best albums I've heard all year. Not only are the musical talents of the pair front and center across this record but they invite a number of amazing guests who are also up to the task. EL-P is sounding like the legendary beat crafter he is across this album which features one amazing instrumental after another, Killer Mike has refined his sharply political and lyrically thematic rapping down to its essentials and delivers so many shockingly relevant points across the album. But the music here is so good that it will definitely last, while the timing was clearly right for this music to be released I am beyond confident that come the end of the year RTJ4 will be among the biggest musical triumphs 2020 had to offer and looking back it feels like we should have known it was coming all along. 9.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
Looking at the previous album cover of Run the Jewels this one is my favorite. The depth that is achieved in this geometric design is really cool and it pops of the background. The color of the background is really nice and doesn't take away or clash with the other colors in the design. Since the design is repeated in the past covers it is instantly recognizable to to returning listeners and has something to it that draws in new listeners.The lack of text works well because of the collection of covers. 8/10
For more hip hop check out my review of Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist's Alfredo here
