Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
In an industry where marketing and advertising have denigrated terms like “super-group” and “activist rap,” El-P and Killer Mike of Run the Jewels (RTJ) still lend integrity to the idea of an odd-couple that manages to be more than the sum of their very significant parts, writes Naman Arora.
Their latest album, RTJ4, showcases both their individual talents and the weight of the political climate that has made them one of the most critically-acclaimed rap musicians of our day.
The album, which was released for free two days before its designated release date, is particularly relevant to the sea of riots and protests that has engulfed the United States in response to the viral video of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin arresting and fatally kneeling on African-American US citizen George Floyd’s neck until he loses conscience.
There is righteous anger here, much like RTJ’s previous album, but it is now tempered by the maturity and a world-weariness of boys who have grown into men amidst an increasingly polarised world. The juvenile humour of the previous albums is gone, now replaced by repeated fists of fury to the many faces of racism that have reared their heads in the two years since their last release.
But maturity does not mean their anger has subsided. It has instead built into a fury with no time for tranquillity and subtlety, but of a reflective nature. One particular lyric in goonies vs E.T.: “Used to be a time I’d see it and I’d say it/Now I understand that woke folk be playing” that really nails this point, as Mike acknowledges that despite all the positive response he has seen to his activism, little has really changed beyond the egos of his listeners.
And through all this, the lyrical talents of Mike and the perfectly tuned production and humorous tag-ins of El-P produce an album that sounds just as good for focused listening as it does for a road trip sound track.
The charm with these two has been their chilled couch nature – you can just picture yourself sitting on a couch as the two start spitting verses, poking fun at each other while they are really throwing jabs at you, but in a way you can enjoy and never forget.
And that shines through just as much in these 11 tracks as it has in their previous three albums. The wordplay is on point, the jazzy electronic music is the perfect stage and the host of top notch guest voices, including Pharrell Williams, will have you coming back for just another serving.
