Review Summary: The final installment in what I’m sure will become a legendary trilogy.
This is my first ever review here so please forgive and discrepancies. Collaborative albums can be a difficult affair. To combine several distinct styles in a way that compliments everyone in the project is a tough balance to strike. However, few collaborations have been as successful as El-P and Killer Mike melding their polar worlds to form the fantastic Run the Jewels.
On the first Run the Jewels I was given the feeling of two extremely talented rappers joining forces to laugh manically at the mainstream rap they so clearly tower above. Though the project was fantastic it lacked cohesion and felt more like a collection of dope songs than a full on album. Run the Jewels 2 further established their chemistry as a group and delivered what in my opinion was easily in the top 3 rap albums of 2014.
Run the Jewels 3 was released on Christmas Day 2016 and what a way to wake up that morning. On this album we see their styles blended perfectly. They each bring out aspects of the other not yet seen and complement each other beautifully. El-P’s production is as infectious and awesome as ever and Mike and El consistently bring fiery intensity, endless energy and their classic sharp and witty rhymes. The chemistry on this album is unparalleled. The way these two lyrical titans bounce back and forth is nothing short of jaw dropping. They are clearly best friends outside of being rhyme partners and this shows throughout this masterpiece.
The classic Run the Jewels style songs are brought in spades with song like; legend has it, call ticketron, and panther like a panther. Brimming with wordplay and fantastic one liners the songs of this style are all stand out. However, all the other songs are stand outs as well. More politically charged songs like; don’t get captured and the album’s closer are also breathtaking. Killer Mike and El-P perfectly blend classic trash talk with sharp poetic politics in their best album (in my opinion). As if this album wasn’t awesome enough we are treated to great guest spots from Danny Brown and Zack De La Rocha who both deliver exceptionally.
In conclusion I absolutely love this album and these two as a group. They have finally perfected their sound with this album and the Run the Jewels trilogy is surely one for the record books.
