“El-P the best rapper and producer in the world,” Killer Mike said soon after the pair dropped their third joint record in 2017. “Battle me if you think I’m lying. Like for real, and I feel like ya’ll had him up here all these years and ya’ll slept.”
Two years prior, Kendrick Lamar had something similar to say about the Southern MC on To Pimp A Butterfly, rapping: “Critics wanna mention that they miss when hip-hop was rappin’/ muthafucka if you did then Killer Mike would be platinum.”
Pick whoever you want as your favorite rapper or producer and work backwards from there — the chances are Killer Mike and El-P’s names will come up at some point, guilty or by association.
A powerduo mostly in retrospect, both titans formally welded their unsung contributions to the sport in 2013 and formed an alliance so freakishly athletic that their mastery hasn’t been questioned ever since. Feisty, sharp and unwavering in their social commentary, Run The Jewels embody everything about hip-hop that’s worthy of pride.
A decade and four albums later, RTJ is arguably one of the strongest and most effective forces in politically-driven rap since Public Enemy and Rage Against The Machine. These are musicians’ musicians who let their values determine their identities and not the other way round, which is why their place in hip-hop history is already certain.
From October 11–14, Run The Jewels played four back-to-back shows at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles as part of their 10-year anniversary tour that also covered New York City, Chicago and Atlanta. Over the weekend, a number of heavyweights made cameos at the celebration, namely Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine, DJ Shadow, Danny Brown and Z-Trip, among others.
Run The Jewels at the Hollywood Palladium
Killer Mike | Photo Credit: Karan Singh
El-P | Photo Credit: Karan Singh
Run The Jewels | Photo Credit: Karan Singh
