Return of the Jewel Runners: ‘RTJ4’ Album Review
By Carter Fife
Last week Run The Jewels surprised fans by dropping their highly-anticipated fourth record RTJ4 days before the free mixtape’s anticipated release date. The rap duo, comprised of Atlanta’s Killer Mike and Brooklyn’s El-P, announced the fourth entry in their decorated discography almost two years ago, marking this project their first in almost 4 years.
Mike and El have not been exactly silent since the long-awaited release of Run The Jewels 3, however, as since then they embarked on the global “Run The World Tour” in addition to releasing tracks and collaborative videos for various outlets. With their fourth record, abbreviated as RTJ4 instead of ‘Run The Jewels 4’, the two rappers find themselves in the midst of perhaps one of the most divisive sociopolitical climates yet. The U.S. is four years into the Trump-era, and over the past two weeks, tensions between citizens and the police have reached a boiling point as many protest for their right to exist. In a plutocratic society full of dictator-esque authoritarians, racial discrimination, and disenfranchised citizens, RTJ4 is an incredibly passionate and righteous body of work. With a complex emotional register, every element this record has that could be interpreted as inspiring also leaves the listener melancholic about how RTJ’s pleas for justice are just as relevant as they were seven years ago.
I remember after the release of Run The Jewels 2, watching Killer Mike and El-P walk slowly on-stage at Treasure Island to Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’. Dressed in all-black sweatsuits, it was hard for the uninitiated to decide whether or not they were actually a rap group, or instead two sound guys enjoying their brief moment of fame. As the song came to an end, Run The Jewels abandoned their humorously victorious poses, with Killer Mike powerfully telling the audience, “We about to burn this stage to the mothafuckin’ ground!’. Their tracks about racial justice, police brutality, and paranoia seemed appropriate given that at the time we were living in the wake of the Ferguson protests, and even presidential nominees like Ben Carson were calling movements like Black Lives Matter “silly”. These issues at the time were not new, but with the upcoming election and national attention these issues were receiving, we remained hopeful that tangible legislative change would come.
In many ways, this is the core of what Run The Jewels is, a rap group whose composition is just as subversive and iconoclastic at their message. Both members are now in their mid-40’s, but their devotion to political action, progressive values, and writing bangers has made them one of the most powerful hip-hop duos since Mobb Deep, UGK, or Outkast. RTJ4 continues this theme with 11 tracks of social insight, though this time around they demonstrate a versatility that when paired with their candor is almost unmatched. Mike and El have perhaps the strongest chemistry of any rap group in recent memory, and whether they’re aggressively trading bars on the disjointed ‘ooh la la’ featuring performances from Greg Nice and the legendary DJ Premier, or meditating on death and hegemony on the album’s closer ‘a few words for the firing squad (tradition)’, the two cannot seem to make a bad track between them. Even their beat switches, seen on ‘holy calamafuck’ result in no stilted awkwardness or lost energy from the two rappers.
The majority of RTJ4 is produced by El-P as expected, and within the record’s < 40-minute runtime the duo fills up every moment with all-star guest appearances, aggressive bars, cultural references and beats that rival the most iconic cuts from their first two records. On the aforementioned ‘ooh la la’ the two rap like icons in their prime, with Killer Mike delivering lines like “First of all, fuck the fucking law, we is fucking raw. / Steak tartare, oysters on the half-shell, sushi bar / Life a bitch and the pussy fish, still fucked her raw / I’m a dog, i’m a dirty dog, hahahahaha” over an uneasy piano sample and booming snares. Moments of humor like this are emphasized and amplified when on other tracks the subject matter veers into capitalism’s valuation of money and justice. On ‘JU$T’ icons Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha join the mosh to suggest that America’s condemnation of racism is shallow, as many racists are still allowed to thrive in corrupt systems that preserve their power at the expense of others’.
The seriousness of tracks like ‘pulling the pin’ and ‘walking in the snow’ - featuring the inevitable second collaboration between RTJ and Gangsta Boo - is tangible. While many artists fear speaking their mind on political issues, instead opting for platitudes and corny pseudo-political corporatized Instagram posts, Run The Jewels fulfills their civic and celebrity duty by refusing to shy away from uncomfortable topics like white supremacy and modern slavery. By pairing sobering instances of political realness with moments of humor, Mike and El show their sage grasp on humanity and the understanding that simply living is political. The two capture a profoundly dynamic human experience through the interaction between their own ideologies, references, and moments of vulnerability. Even during moments where 2Chainz makes hot-dog related puns on ‘out of sight’ when talking about trying to be “frank”, these brief sections on the album serve to unite listeners, understanding fully that specializing in what some would call ‘political rap’ is inherently alienating to many people. Killer Mike and El-P handle this issue well, as RTJ4’s carefree humor is done tastefully and intentionally.
Like the three records that precede it, RTJ4 is a progressive and defiantly anti-authoritarian masterclass in hip-hop production and songwriting. If you’re a fan of Run The Jewels, this album is definitely for you, and if you are not, then it is still worthwhile to give the record a listen. It is a rare moment when two 45-year-old musicians from different backgrounds can collaborate, knowing that they may be out of touch with their fan base, and create a universally inspiring and emotionally complex album. It was definitely worth the wait, and though it may be a while before we’re graced with a Run The Jewels 5 (if ever), I will certainly be keeping this record in my current rotation for the foreseeable future.
Favorite tracks:
JU$T (Feat. Pharrell Williams & Zack de la Rocha)
walking in the snow
holy calamafuck
Rating: 8
Listen to RTJ4 here:
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