Review Summary: Where two become one.
Like it or not, but the first Run the Jewels album was a collaboration of two artists. The two shared a singular identity, but the nature of the album’s existence was simply a response to the two’s enjoyment with working together. El-P had apparently already made most of the beats before they had agreed to make the album, and Killer Mike’s inclusion was just that, an inclusion. It felt it, too. Despite the album’s excellence, Killer Mike and El-P still felt separate, two entities inhabiting one body. The end product, “Run the Jewels”, felt like unbridled excellence, lacking in the unity that makes most rap groups great. One year later, Killer Mike and El-P are back with Run the Jewels 2, an album that was built from the ground up as the true sound of the group, Run the Jewels. The end result is something that not only excels both artists to their optimum abilities, but solidifies the two as one great force to be reckoned with.
And reckon many shall. “Run the Jewels 2” practically demands attention. While El-P’s production isn’t as hard-hitting as it was in “Run the Jewels” , pure brunt has been replaced with atmosphere. The beats still pack a punch, but they move with an ominous energy that propels the album’s overall cynicism. “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry” juxtaposes high pitch samples with thudding bass, while splashing in frenetic percussion work. “Lie, Cheat, Steal” echoes ringing wailing to accompany its pulse-pounding crashes of electronic sound. All these songs follow a similar sonic theme of two distinct sides. Each songs holds a dark undercurrent that permeates throughout the album. Usually, these black trudges are met with classic El-P glitch synthetic tones to create a work that equally balances both ends of the tonal spectrum. However, occasionally El-P gives no light to the darkness. On “Blockbuster Night Part 1” for example, all effort is put towards the song’s deliberate, marching beat. Flickers of whining synths bleed through the song occasionally, but the wall of evil sound completely dominates the piece. All of this creates one of El-P’s most creative producing efforts in years. Where “R.A.P. Music” showed El-P dabbling into mainstream rap and “Run the Jewels” showcased his ability to create hardcore bangers, “Run the Jewels 2” emphasizes mood above all else. The fact that the album still maintains its thundering intensity while presenting this new angle to the music is an accomplishment within itself. Nevertheless, “Run the Jewels 2” proves El-P’s ability to work as a chameleon with his production, consistently fitting the sound of the album to match the overall nature of the lyrical content.
It will come as no surprise then that “Run the Jewels 2” is dark and gritty lyrically as well, then. As Killer Mike states in “Blockbuster Night Part 1” their first effort proved the brutality of the duo’s lyrical ability. On “Run the Jewels 2” El-P and Killer Mike focus their wordplay to specific targets, including the police, politicians, and religious leaders. El-P and Killer Mike have waged war against those in power with lyrics that spite and condemn their heinous actions. This new effort to actually carry a message lowers the overall cartoonish violence that permeated throughout Run the Jewels previous effort and replaces it with social-commentary. That’s not to say that El-P and Killer Mike have lost their fun, as “Love Again (Akinyele Back)” no doubt proves, with its purely sexually driven motives. But El-P has crafted a much darker sounding album, after all, and the lyrical content needed to match. On this front, Killer Mike delivers tenfold. Mike has always been an imposing personality, but he has never shown quite the same prowess as El-P, a lyrical master. On “Run the Jewels 2”, however, Killer Mike stands toe to toe with El, delivering one unforgettable verse after another. Where his verse on “Jeopardy” shows Killer Mike’s ability to tear apart any mainstream rapper that would step to him, it’s songs like “Crown” that hold Killer Mike’s haunting stories of his days as a drug dealer. It would almost be Killer Mike’s show if it wasn’t for El-P continuing to dazzle with his complex and challenging lyrics. El-P gives what is perhaps the highlight verse on the album on “Crown”, where he intricately examines the brainwashing philosophy that the military instills into its soldiers. However, the album doesn’t feel like the two are in competition, as they did with their first album. Instead, El-P and Killer Mike work as a unit, finishing each other’s lines, picking up verses immediately where each one leaves off and constantly delivering each lyrical punch together. The cooperation and cohesiveness of the two brings back memories of “Midnight Marauders” era A Tribe Called Quest. There a natural chemistry between them, and they seem to know that they play well off of each other. Mike’s in your face delivery surprisingly transitions well into El-P’s intelligently crafted verses.
Couple this chemistry with the overall dark tone of “Run the Jewels 2” and you have an album that feels unmistakably Run the Jewels and nothing else, not El-P and not Killer Mike. As stated before, El-P is a chameleon. He produced “R.A.P. Music” to feel like a mainstream Killer Mike album, and “Run the Jewels” felt like El-P confidently crafting a solid collaboration project. But here, El-P has not only crafted an album that is inherently dark, he has made something that is distinctly Run the Jewels, and the album does nothing but benefit from it. Some aspects fall short than others. “All My Life” sadly feels tedious and holds the most forgettable chorus on the album, and El-P’s verse on “All Due Respect” is actually mediocre. However, the highs far outshine the lows. “Crown” is possibly the best Hip Hop song of the year, and “Early” holds one of the most beautiful choruses created for a rap song in quite some time. El-P and Killer Mike have come together as Run the Jewels, and Run the Jewels have created one of the best albums of the year.
