Album Review: Run The Jewels- Run The Jewels 2

Run the Jewels

Run the Jewels 2

****and1/2 out of *****

The second offering from the successful Run The Jewels duo of Killer Mike and El-P is more of the same complex wordplay and stark, deconstructed EDM beats; in the end not only is it their best collaboration, it is the high-water mark in both of their careers.

Produced primarily by El-P with help from friends the beats don't look back, they stare into the future with random laser blasts, gunshots, digital bleeps and bass burps. It could sound chaotic and fraudulent in others hands but behind Killer Mike's ATL confident revved up rhyme style and El-P's own lines thing stay linked and flow in full.   

Individual songs stand out, but the duo wanted this to be a complete album just as much as they want this to be a "band" as opposed to another side project. They are onto something with tracks as powerful as "Blockbuster Night Part 1" which, in front of digital scratches, allows Killer Mike to drop the groups own press release "This Run The Jewels is, murder, mayhem, melodic music".

In a full album of good lines the two best lyrical offerings close the disk with "Crown" having a split tour-de-force as Mike recounts past mistakes with drugs, lovers and children leading to the hook that is less about boasting and more about recognizing what keeps you from the top. El-P's artistic contribution could be a metaphor for violence, drug use, male on female abuse or a combo of all three with amazing flows like:

This is for everything you’ve ever loved/
Use all the pain that you’ve felt in your life as the currency go out and trade it for blood
You are not you/You are now us
We are the only ones that you can trust

Disk closer "Angel Duster" focuses on dropping the RTJ name over and over sealing the deal of this groups power as mega truths are spit from both of the MC's with Killer Mike delivering powerful ideas:

God really exists I tell you like this it reside inside
And anybody tell you different, just selling you religion, tryin' to keep your ass in line
I kill my masters/I mentor none

While the duo run the show a few guests easily slide in and enhance things, top of that list is Zack De La Rocha contributing to "Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)". Sampled and sped up for the hook before dropping the last verse in which he shouts out to Miles Davis, Philip K Dick Rakim and the death of the working man. Producer Boots also helps out on "Lie, Cheat, Steal" where El-P gets his Hotlanta flow on as the beats pick up and the track flows downhill capturing all of Killer Mike's questions about society in sticky syrup.

Boots sticks around and helps out on the cop abuse jam "Early" and the groups gets its sex rhymes on during "Love Again" with the female side of the dirty acts represented by the Memphis based Gangsta Boo. Clocking in at around 40 minutes RtJ2 is a complete work that engages challenges and bumps with ease and will easily top some best of hip-hop (and other) lists come years end.    

Far from a traditional sounding hip-hop album Run The Jewels have made something that sounds distinctly like the year 2014 yet still manage to infuse their sparse beats and rhymes chock full of old school references (Jungle Brothers shout out in the bumping "All Due Respect") resolving into a full length effort that old school hip hop heads can get behind as long as they have an ear towards to the future.  
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Very pumped to have heard this after getting turned onto "some of the best hip hop of the year" a few weeks ago and not digging it all that much. This is that, Run the Jewels is a much better combination of skills and this album is damn solid. It is easily the best Hip-Hop disk we have heard so far in 2014, possibly in much longer.

Support the group here, buy the album ( the digital for free) here and peep some video below.

Year In Review 2014 - Top Ten Albums - Part 3 (5-1)

Another great year is finishing up for Rock The Body Electric and we wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so without further verbiage RtBE Presents it's third part of the Best of 2013 Top Ten Albums (5-1):

Part 1 and 2 if you missed them

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else we will link to that review and just give a quick summation, just click on the name and title and you can read it.  RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on the their Top 20 so expect some overlap. 

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but full releases you can slap on and listen to the all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for us. We will remove ourselves from the rankings but we wouldn't mind if you gave it a listen.

This year in the ranking there were a host of good albums but few that are great. We think these 5 form a clear distinction with numbers 10-5, which you can read about here. These top 5 albums all are a major step above those in our opinion and it just happened to be that 5 stood out, some years it is 3 others none really. Just the way it goes and it makes us happy to be able to create music and get a chance to write about: 

Year In Review 2020 - Favorite Albums Part 3: The Top 5

Another year is finishing up and @RockBodElec wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE presents 2020's Favorite Albums Part 3: Top Five.

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album, either on this site or elsewhere, we will link to that review and just give a quick summation; click on the name/title and you can read our full opinion. RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on their Top 20 so you can expect some overlap if you already have seen that list.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for us.

The number ten just works for this, so here is the second part of our top ten, numbers five through one. You can see the back end of our top ten and the albums that just missed as well. Like all of our lists or 'best of's' these are meant to start conversations more than end them...

Top 50 Albums of the 2010's: Numbers 10-1

Way back in 2009 we were lucky enough to help contribute to Glide Magazine's list of Best Albums of the 2000's. Hard to believe it has been ten years since we worked on that list, but it is that time again to look back at the previous decade and put together some arbitrary rankings. Since this site has been going strong the full decade we have a lot to pull from.

Here comes RtBE's picks for the top albums from the last decade, 2010-2019.

If we reviewed the album we will provide a link to that review in the title, a brief reflection on the record and a tune from it. A lot can change in ten years and a lot stays the same. Some albums were just right for their time and place and haven't aged particularly well and others were perhaps misunderstood or even prophetic as to where the world was headed.

Just our two cents, but this decade will not be looked back at fondly when it comes to remembering music in general. Things (for the most part) are being programmed and mushed together into mellow, white bread, digestible tunes with a hip hop foundation around pop hooks, synth vibes, a few strings and nothing the least bit exciting or offensive for the majority of music out there. In an era that should be considerably be ripe for protest, outrage, and individual expressionism, very little of actual substance has escaped to the masses.

Also from a practical standpoint, never before has the concept of "album" been so meaningless in our streaming/playlist curated society. While RtBE isn't completely old fashion, we still haven't bought into those ways of consuming music and the album is still our only way of listening to things, whether on vinyl or downloaded; no shuffling of singles here. This list focuses on full lengths that are played from beginning to end and deliver the goods.  

We will break this down over five parts, doing ten albums a day. There were a ton of good records released over the last ten years, much more than fifty, but these are our choices. We kept our personal musical releases off the list, but feel free to listen and critique those.

As a note, Glide Magazine, the main site we contribute to, changed it's rating system in the middle of the decade from 5 Stars to 10 stars, then removed it all together so if you see say #49 on our list with only 4 stars, consider it doubled to 8.

Like all of the lists RtBE have done, this is meant to start conversations, not end them. So let's kick it off...

Live Review: Wu-Tang - The Final Chamber 7/16/25 NYC Madison Square Garden

Wu-Tang Clan - The Final Chamber

w/ Run The Jewels 

7/16/25 NYC Madison Square Garden

The tour that is being billed as the The Final Chamber (the supposed last time all the living members of the Wu-Tang Clan will be on stage together) made an appearance at the world's most famous arena on Wednesday night July 16th. If this was truly a finale from Wu-Tang it was incredibly memorable and magnanimous as the Wu turned this tour stop into a celebration of not only their fantastic career, but of old-school hip-hop in general, with a host of special guests sharing the stage. 

Year In Review 2020 - Favorite Albums of 2020

Here are our all of our favorite albums of 2020. This is the year end review, all in one place.

It starts with our honorable mentions then moves into our top ten albums of the year. There is a short blurb about the album and a song from it, click on the title to read our full review of the selected records. The focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen to all the way through.

It has been a weird year to say the least... 

Thanks for reading.

Album Review: Run The Jewels- Run The Jewels 3

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of the newest Run The Jewels album succinctly titled Run The Jewels 3. We loved RTJ2 and ranked it very high in 2014, and this is more of the same excellent hip hop; we wouldn't be surprised if it shows up on this years Best Of List.

This go around there is a little less lighthearted fun and silly throw away rhymes, but the situation has gotten even more serious in the country so, Killer Mike and El-P have adjusted accordingly. The dexterous word play and frenetic beats are exhilarating, this is the first great album of 2017.

Support the artists, buy the album, peep some video:

Top 50 Albums of the 2010's

Way back in 2009 we were lucky enough to help contribute to Glide Magazine's list of Best Albums of the 2000's. Hard to believe it has been ten years since we filled out that list, but it is that time again to look back at the previous decade and put together some arbitrary rankings. Since this site has been going strong the full decade we have a lot to pull from.

Here are RtBE's picks for the top albums from the last decade, 2010-2019.

If we reviewed the album we will provide a link to that review in the title, a brief reflection on the record and a tune from it. A lot can change in ten years and a lot stays the same. Some albums were just right for their time and place, some haven't aged particularly well and others were perhaps misunderstood or even prophetic as to where the world was headed.

Just our two cents, but this decade will not be looked back at fondly when it comes to remembering music in general. Things (for the most part) are being programmed and mushed together into mellow, white bread, digestible tunes with a hip hop foundation around pop hooks, synth vibes, a few strings and nothing the least bit exciting or offensive for the majority of music out there. In an era that should be considerably ripe for protest, outrage, and individual expressionism, very little of actual substance has escaped to the masses.

Also from a practical standpoint, never before has the concept of "album" been so meaningless in our streaming/playlist curated society. While RtBE isn't completely old fashion, we still haven't bought into those ways of consuming music and the album is still our only way of listening to things, whether on vinyl or downloaded; no shuffling of singles here. This list focuses on full lengths that are played from beginning to end and deliver the goods.  

There were a ton of top notch records released over the last ten years, much more than fifty, but these are our choices. We kept our personal musical releases off the list, but feel free to listen and critique those if you would like.

As a note, Glide Magazine, the main site we contribute to, changed its rating system in the middle of the decade from 5 Stars to 10 stars, then removed it all together so if you see say #49 on our list with only 4 stars, consider it doubled to 8.

Like all of the lists RtBE have done, this is meant to start conversations, not end them. So let's kick it off...

Rage Against The Machine Tour with Run The Jewels

The legends Rage Against The Machine will be reuniting and conducting a "Public Service Announcement", touring the country this summer with hip hop act Run The Jewels opening.

Having seen the band back in their hey day, RtBE can confirm that Rage are a beast live and worth seeing.

We will hopefully be catching them at MSG where s few years back we were lucky to catch Run The Jewels open for Jack White. Zack de la Rocha came out with RTJ during what was our favorite show of 2015 and now he will return to the arena with his band headlining. Exciting.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, to get in the mood some live RATM videos below:

Full Show Friday: Run The Jewels @ Bonnaroo 2015

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Run The Jewels!

Some months our Full Show Friday's will focus on specific artists, years, venues, festivals or some combo of it all. This month we focus on sets from Bonnaroo over the years.  

Last week we posted a headliner we don't care for much. This week we post a late night show for a band we dig. 

When we first got into RTJ was on RTJ2 which we reviewed and rated highly in our year end round up. We caught them live not long after that and loved it. We also dug their most recent release and rated it pretty high as well. 

Pro shot, Pro Sound, full set list below. Enjoy:

1:20 Run the Jewels 4:58 Oh My Darling Don't Cry 9:15 Blockbuster Night Part 1 12:13 Banana Clipper 17:11 36" Chain 20:04 DDFH 23:12 Sea Legs 27:17 Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) 30:33 Pew Pew Pew 34:25 Lie, Cheat, Steal 38:03 Early 42:11 All Due Respect 44:08 Love Again 47:09 Get It 50:44 A Christmas Fucking Miracle 56:17 Angel Duster

Year In Review 2017- Top Ten Albums Part 3

Another great year is finishing up for @RockBodElec and we wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE Presents the Best of 2017 Top Ten Albums numbers 5-1:

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else we will link to that review and just give a quick summation; click on the name and title and you can read our full opinion. RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on their Top 20 so you can expect some overlap if you already have seen that list.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but full releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for us.

Today we start our top ten, in retrospect it was a year with a lot of good albums but few great ones, sorta like 2011 or last year. Don't believe me? Google "Best Music of 2017" and see the dreck that shows up. Click that Read More button to see what albums we liked the best in 2017.

Year In Review 2025 - Favorite Live Shows

The live show is a slippery thing. There are lots of variables at play, most having little to do with the performance itself. Does the venue have enough bathrooms? Is it going to rain? What day of the week is it on? Did I have a shitty day at work before hand? Did tickets cost waaay too much? All of this can alter one's opinion of a live show before the band even tunes up and with reason. However, when the stars align, there is no place RtBE would rather be than in the moment of magic occurring spontaneously from the stage.

Live Music Has No Equal!

Taken By The Fantastic Megan Donohue

While obviously we can't see every show that is out there, we try to get out often to catch live music. Sure there are a few left in the calendar year, but for now, here is a listing of the best concerts we were fortunate enough to have caught in 2025.

There are links to show reviews in the titles, also because who doesn't love arbitrary rankings, one show at the bottom took the top prize as RtBE's 2025 Favorite Live Show. 

Live Stream: Run The Jewels - 4 Albums In 4 Nights Live from Los Angeles

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 and beyond era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today is: Run the Jewels.

One of RtBE's favorites have a special run of shows coming up from Los Angeles starting tonight and anyone can now be there (virtually). The band is working with Veeps to live stream the next 4 nights, coinciding with each of their 4 albums. Grab a ticket to your favorite night or all of them. 

To get in the mood here is one of RtBE's favorite RTJ tunes:

Year In Review 2017- Top 10 Albums Part 2

Another great year is finishing up for @RockBodElec and we wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE Presents the Best of 2017 Top Ten Albums numbers 10-6:

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album either on the site or somewhere else we will link to that review and just give a quick summation, just click on the name and title and you can read our full opinion. RtBE worked with the Glide Team to give input on their Top 20 so you can expect some overlap if you already have seen that list.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but full releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle or singles for us. You can view the first part of this feature, the just misses and let downs as well.

Today we start our top ten, in retrospect it was a year with a lot of good albums but few great ones, sorta like 2011 or last year. All three of these years contain OK albums as opposed to All-Time Greats. However, there is a wide range in the 2017 top ten; from Jazz to Hardcore Metal to Acoustic to Hip-Hop to Country. Click that Read More button to get started with #10-6 today. 

Year In Review 2015- Favorite Live Show

The live show is a slippery thing. There are lots of variables at play, most having little to do with the performance itself.  Does the venue have enough bathrooms?  Is it going to rain?  What day of the week is it on?  Did I have a shitty day at work before hand?  Did tickets cost waaay too much? All of this effects one's opinion of a live show before the band even tunes up and with reason, but when the stars align, there is no place RtBE would rather be then in the moment of magic occurring spontaneously from the stage.

Live Music Has No Equal.   

While we can't see every show that is out there, we try our hardest to see as many as we can (and more then most) here at RtBE.  Sure there are a few left in the calendar year, (we are even playing one Friday) but for now, here is a listing of of the best concerts we were fortunate enough to have seen in 2015. Also because who doesn't love arbitrary rankings, one show at the bottom  took the top prize as RtBE's 2015 Show of the Year. To continue our Best of 2015 just click that Read More button and get started

2015 NOLA Jazzfest Acts: Announced Tomorrow, Predicted Today

Tomorrow the lineup for the 2015 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be announced but we got the scoop...

Actually, no we don't but since it is fun to predict, lets look into the crystal ball and guess who will be and who should be playing. We will exclude local acts (even though they are the main reason we go) lets just talk about national touring acts for now....

Two New Tunes from Run The Jewels

When RtBE rated our favorite albums from the previous decade, Run The Jewels second release ended up being our favorite hip hop album of the 2010's (and 9th overall). We also dug their third release and now they have previewed two new songs from their upcoming fourth album.

The two tracks, "Ooh, LaLa" and "Yankee and the Brave" are both below and show different sides of the outfit. "Ooh, LaLa" sounds more old school with DJ Premier beats and Greg Nice, while "Yankee and the Brave" feels ominous and more balls to the wall, anything can happen.

Here they both are for you to enjoy, can't wait to hear the full album:

Run The Jewels 3 Coming January 2017, New Song Released

January 2017 is shaping up to be a good month for releases. As we already chatted about the Japandroids finally come back with their follow up to the fantastic Celebration Rock and now Run The Jewels will return with their third offering following up on 2014's excellent RTJ2.

Brooklyn Vegan has collected a few of their releases and track details from the upcoming album. We loved the last disk and ranked it high on our year end list, so we have high hopes for the third installment from the duo. Below are a few of the new tracks from the upcoming release.

Full Show Friday: Run The Jewels - Austin City Limits 2018

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Run The Jewels!

Some months our Full Show Friday's will focus on specific artists, years, venues, tv shows, festivals or some combo of it all. 

This months Full Show Friday Series focuses on the Austin City Limits Television Series.

Having caught RTJ now twice at the Garden, I can attest they put on a great live show. Here they are back in 2018 on ACL.

Pro Sound, Pro Shot, Setlist below. Enjoy:

1:44 Talk To Me 4:25 Legend Has It 9:15 Blockbuster Night, Pt.1 12:01 Oh My Darling Don't Cry 17:35 36" Chain 21:10 Stay Gold 24:45 Don't Get Captured 28:24 Nobody Speak 31:51 Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) 34:46 A Report to the Shareholders / Kill Your Masters 38:18 Thursday in the Danger Room 42:50 2100 48:19 Down

Album Review: Run The Jewels - RTJ4

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of Run The Jewels newest release RTJ4.

There couldn't be a better timed album and it is easy to see why the band pushed up its release to June 1st as they talk directly about the current state of affairs (like on every other album of theirs) with passion and conviction.

RtBE have been long time fans of RTJ, catching them live (which turned out to be our favorite show from 2015), enjoying RTJ3 and ranking their second album as our favorite hip album of the last decade.

A great record that will probably top a lot of year end lists. Support the artists and their causes, read the review, download the record for yourself and peep some video below: