Album Gauntlet Episode 10: Hard-Hitters, Poignancy and Hunger (Run the Jewels

THIS IS A CONSCIOUS AND POLITICAL ALBUM, SO EXPECT TO SEE THEMES OF POLITICS, RELIGION, AND OTHER CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECTS

"I don't brag enough, you de facto suck."

~El-P, Lie, Cheat, Steal

Hello, everyone! Welcome to episode 10 of my album reviews! Last time, I talked about a well established hip hop duo's grand statement to the world. Today, I'm arguably doing the exact same thing with Run the Jewels' second album, their 2014 modern classic Run the Jewels 2. This is the second outing from El-P and Killer Mike (third if you count the latter's 2012 album R.A.P. Music that was produced by the former) and is constantly cited to be their best record to date. What do I feel about it? I'll get into that in a bit, but before I do, let me give some context on where I stand with this duo. I had heard of them for years but for some reason I never really listened to them until the RTJ4 cycle began. My first song of theirs was holy calamafuck and it was enough to make me say "I need to listen to their new album when it comes out". I did, and it just blew me away. The aforementioned song isn't even in my top 5 favorite songs from that album and I still love it as much as I did then; that's how good it was. For whatever reason though, I only just recently gave this record a shot, the one that everyone says is their magnum opus. With this in mind, let's dive into my opinions of this record track by track!

Jeopardy: The first seconds of this album have Killer Mike giving a bombastically delivered braggadocious speech about making history with this record before the track makes way for his verse and El-P's lush but heavy beats. Mike opens his verse by speaking in Snoop Dogg-style "izzle" speak about what he's armed with (and his Nikes), telling people to either hand over their loot or go to hell. This is followed by him stating how he does all this just so he can feel like he's a part of something bigger, something material (he also sneaks in a reference to the Death Grips song I Want It I Need It (Death Heated), so he automatically gets a point for that). Hell, he even disses your favorite rapper and likens himself to God. The level of over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek braggadocio on display here is hilarious and awe-inspiring at the same time because Killer Mike manages to pull it all off with some hardcore vocal delivery and tightly packed flows, and this is far from the last time I'll be saying that about him. If the line about him being the "closest representation of God you might see" didn't already serve as the proverbial piss in one's corn flakes, the next line might where he carefully but passionately likens himself to traits of famous, well-respected rappers (and one non-rapper). You don't just compare yourself to 2Pac, Nas, or Malcom X lightly, so he took a risk here, but he clearly pulled it off as I'm not aware of any backlash thrown his way for this line. We're not done with the song yet, though. Now we have to talk about El-P's verse where he talks about his experience as a decades-long underground artist in a world run by corporate consumption and greedy governments. He tells us that even when they keep dragging us down into the mud, we'll rise up again, and if we play our cards right, we can make changes to this nation of ours for the better. Basically, El-P and Killer Mike have nothing, therefore they have nothing to lose. We're even assured that no matter how famous the duo gets, they will always stick it to the man. Run the Jewels embody the spirit of punk better than 95% of punk rock bands still kicking it today, and this song perfectly embodies this spirit. The best part, though? We're only just getting started.

Oh My Darling Don't Cry: Fading into this song from the last, we're greeted to a chopped up, high-pitched repetition of the word "darling" followed by two utterings of "oh my"; all of this being set to another hard beat (again, props to El-P for his production chops). Props are also due to Michael Winslow who played on a TV show called Police Academy telling us that we're now listening to Run the Jewels 2 in this robotic voice in between two instances of the same line reprimanding police brutality being used. Even when talking about the darkest subject matter, the gang knows how to throw in some humor and brevity into the mix seamlessly, as evidenced by not just that but the next line where El-P talks about "running naked backwards through a field of dicks". If you know me, you know I love elegant crassness, or as TV Tropes calls it, being "sophisticated as hell", and this particular line is one that I will be quoting for days (even though I'm late to the punch). This first verse ends on a clever method of shouting out another famed alternative rapper, the late and great MF DOOM. Context is needed, though. Leading up to this, El-P mentions how he had a dream that the lower and middle classes actually owned the world or at least had more stakes in the world's happenings only to be brought back to harsh, bitter reality. However, he will continue to act defiantly to the powers that be. Then, we get to the line in question: "Trust me, I'm a Doctor DOOM, oper-rate of my pulse won't raise a bit". The sheer number of layers in this one line is astounding. We already mentioned the DOOM shoutout which is obvious, but the reference to his debut album Operation: Doomsday (and the fact that MF DOOM's entire supervillain persona was shaped around Marvel supervillain Doctor Doom) just adds to it, as does the usage of the British adage "trust me, I'm a doctor". Him topping it off by using the second syllable of "operate" as the first word of the next sentence which serves as his declaration of endurance against the system turns this song into a legendary track. This is only the first verse though. A later verse features things like Killer Mike denouncing the major Abrahamic religions since they're derivative of ancient Egyptian mythology, as well as El-P saying he "runs this spot like a Chinese sweatshop". This song and many others down the line are chock-full of lines designed to get conversations going, but if I go over all of them, I'll be here all day, so I'd better just say this song goes hard and never lets your forget it and move on to the next one.

Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1: Before I get into the song proper, let me just say that if you want to test new speakers or headphones for bass quality, use this song to do it. With that being said, this is a brag rap done right. From Killer Mike bragging about lighting the underground (and the mainstream to an extent) on fire with RTJ's first album to basically saying "if it wasn't produced by El-P, it's shit". Speaking of El-P, the fourth verse has him calling out not only governments for allowing rapists to hold positions of power (though that may also be metaphorical) but the lower and middle class people that choose to be complacent with this and urge others to also be complacent. The philosophy of El-P is very much progressive as evidenced by this one verse alone, and the fact that he can spell it out in a way that's not ham-fisted or preachy is absolutely marvelous and commendable to the highest degree. This also applies to Killer Mike, who says when he dies he'll essentially give Satan the middle finger and try to become the meanest motherfucker in hell. The sheer swagger and choice of words he uses here is enough to cement him as one of the all-time greats. Hell yes to this song and everything about it.

Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck) [ft. Zack De La Rocha]: Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine is mostly used as part of the beat with him saying "run them jewels fast" over and over, though he gets a verse that I'll talk about in a minute. Either way, all three give us a song about police brutality; not just on the streets but in the prisons and courtrooms. The line "black on black on black with the ski mask" is another clever example of multilayered wordplay, courtesy of Killer Mike. There are many possible ways to interpret this one line, such as being a reference to a line in Ice-T's Cop Killer which mentioned a criminal wearing a black shirt, black gloves and ski mask, but there's also the reference to black on black police brutality (yes, black cops are just as willing to partake in this awful action as white cops) as a response to a black on black crime. I won't go into every single possible interpretation, but that's just my take on it. Bravo to Killer Mike once again for not just that but asking the question: when will the black on black fighting come to an end (or at least a truce) and unite against the institutions that not only profiteer but in some cases actively fuel the flames of this never-ending cycle. He also brings up the fact that waterboarding is not seen as cruel and unusual punishment, so when the prison riots begin, they won't kill the warden, they'll just waterboard him because that's technically not against the eighth amendment, apparently. Not only does he turn this bit of Olympic gold-winning mental gymnastics against those who use it, but he does it again with the line "even if some good ones die, fuck it, the Lord will sort 'em". The second verse has El-P calling out the majority of judges for being old coots that are discriminatory towards newer lifestyles, mindsets, and dogmas as well as the troubles of growing up in a big city (New York in the case of El-P) from potentially ending up hanging out with the wrong people to the expensive housing prices. After a while, we finally get Zack's verse and he starts off referencing two of jazz legend Miles Davis' albums: Miles Ahead and Bitches Brew and takes us back to the themes of poor treatment towards minorities by law enforcement, comparing their structure and those higher up to high-ranking KKK members (this came out over 20 years after Rage Against the Machine's seminal classic Killing in the Name, by the way). All around, this is another song sure to open eyes while making you bang your head. A true modern classic right here.

All My Life: This may be the least packed and eventful song of the entire album, but it's still a good song. For one, Killer Mike lets out his southern drawl here like no other song prior on this record. Killer Mike's verse is mostly a brag rap about the duo, but El-P's verse has some other things to talk about, like him essentially saying that if you don't have the talent, don't try to become famous off of it and brings up the image of Ringo Starr into this analogy, to which I say: respect to Ringo Starr. Now that that's cleared up, this song is fine, but it just doesn't compare to the rest of the album.

Lie, Cheat, Steal: Back to the intensity, we get a song about the rules of the game: lie, cheat, steal, kill, win. El-P starts us off by stating how if we just do what will please the powers that be, 9.9 times out of 10 we'll actually be putting ourselves and others into more harm than where we were before. Being the mad lad that El-P is, he follows this up with a couple of Dumb Ways to Die references. Eventually, the second chorus kicks in and Killer Mike raises the question: who runs everything? Who runs the man that says he runs everything? This harkens back to the song Reagan off Killer Mike's aforementioned solo album, but it can never be said enough until we have an answer. I also like how he mentions that while he loves Martin Luther King Jr. and his approach to civil rights, he says that sometimes peaceful protests don't get shit done and refers to Malcom X's less pacifistic methods and beliefs. In any case, this song manages to keep you gripped throughout just like the majority of tracks so far, so if the previous song was a bit of a lull for you too, don't worry. That lull doesn't last long at all.

Early [ft. BOOTS]: A (loosely) story based song that was written around the time of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner killings, this track details just that: a minority being disproportionately punished by police for possession of medicinal marijuana. Not only this, this character is having all of this happen to him in front of his wife and kids. This is an absolutely harrowing verse; probably as harrowing as the entire album gets. Then the second verse has El-P detailing again how this cycle keeps happening because enough people don't rise up and try to take action. Fast forward to 2020 and more people started rising up to do something at least. We're far from successful yet, but we're at least closer to progress than we were in 2014. This song is depressing and lays down a huge gravity unlike any other on this album, but is hopeful in hindsight as it seems the message being spoken here has not gone unheard.

All Due Respect [ft. Travis Barker]: Before Travis Barker of blink-182 became a solo star in his own right, he still did drum sessions for rap acts, and like always, he does a damn good job at it. His drums mesh very well with the hardcore and quotable bravado on display here. Speaking of bravado, we got Killer Mike comparing himself and El-P to Jules and Vincent respectively, but instead of listening to Kool and the Gang they listen to 2Pac. Killer Mike's line about being the reason why Ritalin exists is also fucking hilarious and quotable (hell, the entire song is). I could just go on and spout even more catchy and memorable lines from this song, but instead I'm going to bring up a line in verse 5 where El-P talks about how a lot of people just want easy-listening music and don't like having their perceptions of reality challenged by the media they consume and that RTJ doesn't care and will continue making conscious music. All around, another great song from the gang.

Love Again (Akinyele Back) [ft. Gangsta Boo]: Another Gangsta Boo featured song I get to talk about? Alright. For starters, this song is extremely sex positive for men and women, so that's already a point in its favor. The beat, like always, is another point, though it's not as heavy or hard-hitting of a beat as a lot of the prior songs. Given what this track's about though, that's understandable. Basically though, this song is everyone on board stating they love hot, steamy sex. Again, as an asexual (how this keeps coming up I don't know), I cannot accurately judge sexiness, but I know I'm not grossed out by the descriptions given in this song (and trust me, all parties involved go into explicit detail) so I like it. I think what helps is that it doesn't come off as rappers talking about sex just because that's what rappers do. They actually sound intimate and experienced (as evidenced by the last time I talked about Gangsta Boo, I know she is). The first verse contains a line where Killer Mike convinces Gangsta Boo that she doesn't have to put up a front of primness and ladylike celibacy because they are both passionate animals and it's time to fuck. Sex positivity and sticking a middle finger to slut shaming is always something nice to see in music, especially in largely male-dominated fields like hip-hop. The refrain of "I put that dick in her mouth all day" can sound like any other hip hop song about sex without the aforementioned context, but once you know, this just enhances the tone. El-P does much of the same, but the true magic comes from Gangsta Boo's verse where she brags that she made a man who had been rejected and mistreated in the past by many other girls into a true believer of love again. This is the most positive and heartwarming song on the entire album, and I'd imagine it's turned at least one person on.

Crown [ft. Diane Coffee]: The other song may be the most positive on the entire album, but this one still has some uplifting sentiments and messages. Killer Mike's entire verse is him confessing that he did some actions a long time ago that he's not particularly proud of and still held onto the guilt for many years. Mainly, he's confessing to when he used to sell cocaine and he once sold some to a lady he knew was pregnant at the time. Not only this, but the baby ended up with mental issues three years after birth. He found this lady years later and apologized and she reportedly didn't hold any hard feelings against him. With this, he's been able to move on and improve as a human being. It's inspiring, really. El-P's verse brings us back to the angst and darkness of the world to compare aspects of the U.S. military to cults, from how peer pressure takes a major role in getting people to join (basically, to prove manliness), being made into a killing machine that functions without question (while referencing a line from the Bhagavad Gita that was made famous by J. Robert Oppenheimer: "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds"), stating that it's silly when you're told to spread love by spreading bullets. Just like a cult, you're forced to conform to one standard, one outfit, and absolutely no individuality while the higher-ups see you as nothing but disposable parts that are easy to replace, therefore you can be doled out willy-nilly for any reason. Don't ask questions because if you don't know already, it's not relevant to you. The enemy is not a human, but a target. Some may find this shift in tone jarring, but I think the juxtaposition works here as in both situations, the option to change for the better is presented. This still goes hard as fuck the whole way through, too, making this yet another essential track. One last thing, though: the ending of this song (which fades into the beginning of the next) reminds me of the ending to Radiohead's Karma Police with static feedback fading out and lowering in pitch. Whether or not this is an intentional reference, I couldn't tell you, but I like it.

Angel Duster: The last song (not counting the bonus track, which I don't cover) is the longest on the album, at five minutes and nine seconds. This is another song with sweet sentiments to share with us. El-P gives a toast to the common folk who have to suffer the consequences of the rich's mistakes and Killer Mike has "hope for the living and prayers for the dead", but later asks the question if we're all going to die in the end, why do we even fight? The fact that there's no answer to this question seems to leave this open to interpretation, which works incredibly well for its existential nature. Then we have the final two verses, both attacking different structures that have for centuries been used as cornerstones for civilization: corporate government and organized religion respectively. El-P attacks the idea of bigwigs telling us that their blatant actions done in an attempt to hold as much power as possible while simultaneously stating that they're "looking out for the little guy" or that "it's in our best interest" is absolutely scathing, especially when he says that he'd rather have "a wife in a thong than a whore in a white dress", which also harkens back to the themes of knocking down the concept of slut-shaming found in Love Again. Then, Killer Mike goes equally as hard on not just organized religion but general hierarchal systems such as monarchy, comparing a queen to a deity, saying that she's just the same position-wise and that "you should pray to your fake god that she dies". Keep in mind, Killer Mike does believe in God, just not in the same way most believers do. He then brings up the crux of the problem with organized religion: its use throughout the centuries as a tool for oppression, terrorism, and propaganda. After this, he tells us that the fact that he and El-P managed to get where they are now in spite of all the odds that were stacked against both of them for their entire lives until that point is something amazing and admirable, and I wholeheartedly agree. Let me just say this before I continue, though: he's not condemning the mere idea of religion or theism (and neither am I), just the hierarchal, organized groups that only use the imagery and mythology to further their own agendas and fill their pockets. We clear? Okay. This song fucking rules and I will be playing this many times in the foreseeable future.

Holy shit, what a record. I'm glad Run the Jewels are out here making these consistently great, thoughtful, and eye-opening records while still managing to add a dash of humor to each and every one. This is one of the most eye-opening hip-hop records in modern times for sure (as is RTJ4), and if you enjoy modern hip-hop (or any kind of conscious music), this album is essential.

So, what did you think of this review? Did you like it? Did you get anything interesting out of it? Have you heard the album yourself? If so, what did you think of that? Be sure to let me know you response to all of this in the comments below, and I will see you in the next review! Ta-ta!

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