IN REVIEW: Run the Jewels - "RTJ4"

RTJ4, the (obviously) fourth album by esteemed hip-hop duo Run The Jewels. Comprised of El-P and Killer Mike, RTJ was launched in 2013 and has grown in scope and status with each subsequent album released. Through equal parts humour and activism, the duo have achieved recognition from critics and fans alike that have at this point arguably eclipsed their individual accomplishments, which are numerous.

RTJ4 sees El-P and Killer Mike in typically top form, scaling back on some of their more humourous tendencies in favour of the society-baiting observations that the times call for (though they still allow themselves the occasional joke); much of its subject matter seems perfectly suited to the current environment and in many ways plays as prophetic, although if we're being honest it's more so the soundtrack to history repeating itself.

Though lacking in some of the "fun factor" that made their first three albums such a blast, RTJ4 is more personal and important. Killer Mike is particularly hard hitting here, using his platform to talk about the things we need to be talking about right now; when he says "I can't breathe" on walking in the snow, he's referencing Eric Garner's death six years ago that eerily parallels that of George Floyd, and that its release lined up with another tragic killing only underlines how little progress we've made.

To say Run The Jewels have made the soundtrack to the summer is an understatement; its fresh, old school-indebted beats and heavy, important message are both reflections of years of checkered history and snapshots of the horror show we're living in the moment.

June 3, 2020 • Jewel Runners/BMG

Highlights ooh la la • walking in the snow • the ground below