Album Rating: 4.0

This sure sounds like it could be the soundtrack for a lot of people

Album Rating: 4.5

the production is sooooo good. beats go hard

Album Rating: 4.5

the first time i heard ooh la la i was turned off by the sample but by the second listen i was all in for it



wines i am curious why you say that. is it because you don't like the record, or do you think the lyrics miss the point?

Album Rating: 2.0

definitely a bit of both, but also the people inclined to listen to this record and exalt it are the kind of people who are insulated from systemic violence and pseudo-militaristic displays of violence upholding an order where Black people are scrutinized, stripped of dignity and far, far too often killed or maimed.

Album Rating: 4.0

I'm curious - is there such a beat on this record as "Oh My Darling Don't Cry"?

That's like one of the best hip hop beats ever

Album Rating: 3.0

I dunno, sure there was a whole big ado about the (two-day) early release because of the state of the world and the tragedy that recently occurred, but, like, this album would've been released regardless, right? So the way they kind of shifted the narrative of the release itself to posit it as some kind of spiritual exorcism of the current events is a bit corny and self-gratifying, but it's all superfluous imo. Because it wouldn't have really existed had what happened last week not happened. Putting that aside completely, the album is still really, really good. possibly my second favorite behind RTJ2 - i could see this going up to a 4.0 with time but we'll see.

i keep seeing people call Run the Jewels "hip hop for middle-aged white guys", and i'm an (almost) middle-aged white guy, so maybe they're right.

Album Rating: 4.5

"the first time i heard ooh la la i was turned off by the sample but by the second listen i was all in for it"



yeah, i know what you mean, it's a bit of a grower. but everything about this album from a production and songwriting perspective is perfect to me; there's some really old-school 90s stuff in this, without sacrificing any of the contemporary freshness and ideas. i can see my placeholder 4 rising quickly here. i also appreciate the fact the LP is under 40 minutes. lean af

Album Rating: 4.5

definitely a bit of both, but also the people inclined to listen to this record and exalt it are the kind of people who are insulated from systemic violence and pseudo-militaristic displays of violence upholding an order where Black people are scrutinized, stripped of dignity and far, far too often killed or maimed.

Album Rating: 4.5

@Wines: I think the lyrics are right on point to soundtrack this sort of movement, in my rather insignificant opinion. I get the argument if you hate the actual music and want something more personally enjoyable to be the 'it' album of the protests. Also curious why you say that the kind of people exposed to systematic violence wouldn't be as likely to hear this. Do they not listen to RtJ? Genuinely curious because I really don't know.

Album Rating: 2.0

yeah that's true and fair, i'm just wary of this becoming a kind of palatable soundtrack to the chaos if that makes sense? i'm also not a fan of the album and perceiving it as some kind of clarion call would only attract the kind of people it shouldn't be reserved for

Album Rating: 2.0

Hey Sowing! Obviously it wouldn't be appropriate for me to preclude the political importance of this based on my enjoyment of it, but I feel that it's a palatable soundtrack for people who aren't directly engaged or affected by systematic brutality. I can only speak to a New Zealand context, but RtJ shit-sure wasn't playing at the march I attended (although that was more to do with Maori rights, which is a different thing entirely). Idk i feel like the soundtrack to action and working on redressing rights shouldn't be this but something more holds-barred, more brutal and more honest. I hope that makes some modicum of sense xx

Album Rating: 4.5

I think I get you. It's kind of like how I'm listening to this right now, and I'm thinking about everything that's going on, but it's making me a passive supporter instead of an active one. Like, instead of going out marching a lot of folks comfortably safe from systematic violence will sit at home listening to RtJ, thinking they "get it", when in reality, someone like me has no idea. Yet I'll still get enjoyment and satisfaction out of a commercialized product whose messages are meant to draw attention to the suffering of others.



At the same time, the protests create a vacuum for some album to fill, so I'm curious what would be a better option. Something more vitriolic and real? I guess it's all in perception...as someone not dealing with oppression of any kind, it's hard for me to judge what is authentically a representation of african american struggles and what isn't. To me, and especially in reading the lyrics, this sounds the part though.

Album Rating: 4.5

I also want to make it clear that this review isn't meant to say that this record needs to be part of the movement's soundtrack. It's just that for me personally I listened to it shortly after the experience I described in the review and became inextricably tied to it. Then I heard Killer Mike rapping about failure to properly participate and empathize.

Goddamn I love when El P gets on those really long flows with a bunch of assonant rhymes. And his bars about money are always good, “Tragically struck down in my prime by the speed at which the bags are dropping, sure to watch the sky“

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

The ground below is a great track yeah. I’m a sucker for beats like that

Album Rating: 3.0

Tops for me are 'Holy Calamafuck', 'Walking in the Snow', 'Never Look Back', and the closer. 'Ju$t' and 'The Ground Below' are the two weakest imo. But still far from unlistenable - just relatively unexciting compared to everything else this has to offer. 'Ooh La La' is a grower, but I don't think the chorus is meant to be taken with utmost sincerity, which is at least part of the reason why it "works", almost in a subversive way.

Album Rating: 4.5

Ground Below rules yea

Album Rating: 4.0

El-P's "twenty years" verse and his on-the-nose references to his (turbulent) personal life hit me hard after eight years of endlessly parsing his catalogue. What a fucking unique individual he is.

I thought I was getting over Killer Mike's style, but he really goes hard on this.

Fair take, wines, and I understand what you're shooting for (particularly having read your n.o.d review). I sort of get that this feels commodified, therefore less authentic, but these guys come from such modest backgrounds that I can't help but get on board. Current events aside, it's at least cool that they're saying this shit to a wide audience

Album Rating: 4.0

'the kind of people who are insulated'



there is some extent that to try and appropriate that 'non insulated' life would be false, people can't all have the same experience/upbringing, but empathy can still be there

Album Rating: 4.5

This album is not helping me break my habit of giving too many 5’s.