I had become resigned to the fact that Killer Mike would never get the due recognition that he deserved for being such an ill MC. Ever since I heard his verse on โThe Whole Worldโ I knew he was something special but for whatever reason he never truly blew up like I thought he would.ย Who would have thought that in his 40โs, Killer Mike would findย the fountain of youth by joining forces with the very underground, but very dope, El-P and gain his most mainstream success to date. Their first two albums were spectacularย and showed what the two could be capable of, but with Run the Jewels 3ย my expectations were through the roof that theyโd perfect the formula.
โโCause kinfolk life is beautiful
And we ainโt gotta die for them other men
And I refuse to kill another human being
In the name of a government
โCause I donโt study war no more
I donโt hate the poor no more
Gettinโ more ainโt whatโs more
Only thing more is the loveโ
Before they formedย Run the Jewels, I wasnโt really familiar with El-P. I knew the name, but I couldnโt tell you a single song of his. I was criminally uninformed because his production is incredible. Fucking epic is the only real way to describe it.ย Itโs this strange mix of electro and hip-hop that just works.ย Full of all these classic hip-hop kicks, snares, and scratches, paired with crazy synths thatย all come at you at breakneck speed. Their production is as aggressive and in your face as it can get and it had my whole set up rattling when I cranked it to the max. Seriously, blast โLegend Has Itโ, โPanther Like a Panther (Miracle Mix)โ, or โEverybody Stay Calmโ and apologize to your speakers later. Run the Jewels 3ย is new age riot music and it hits soooo hard.
โCookinโ up curses and slurs
Smokinโ my brain into mush
I became famous for flaminโ you fucks
Maiminโ my way through the brush
There is no training or taming of me and my bruh
Look like a man, but Iโm animal rawโ
Their lyrics onย Run the Jewels 3 are as every bit as aggressive as the production. They approach classism, racism, oppression, and social issues with such a rage and ferocity that you have no choice but to listen to what they have to say, and they have a lot to say. Theyโre so engaging and the chemistry between the two is palpable as they trade bars and feed off each othersโ energy. Killer Mike is an elite MC and El-P hangs right there with him every step of the way and they deliver some seriously memorable verses. Theyโve cemented themselves as one of the greatest duos to ever do it, and theyโre the gift that keeps on giving. Literally though, because theyโre giving this album away for free so thereโs no excuse not to grab this ASAP.
Have you heardย Run the Jewels 3? Whatโd you think about it? What was your favorite song/verse? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your rating for the album.
