Since voluntarily self-dissolving his long-functioning Hip-Hop label Def Jux around February 2010, El-P has somehow managed to release 3 full-length records over a 2 year span, straying away from his previous crippling album/5 years pattern. Run The Jewels is actually El-P's first proper album with close friend and fellow veteran rapper, Killer Mike; It's Proto-Rap that pays homage to Hip-Hop's "golden era" and even lifts it's boastful group name from a old school LL Cool J track, "Cheesy Rat Blues" (1990). Preceded by 3 equally glitched-out teaser singles: "Banana Clipper," "Get It," and Adult Swim-backed "36" Chain," Run The Jewels [album] was uploaded to Fool's Gold Records early Wednesday morning (June 26th) for FREE download. But for diehard record collectors like myself, Fool's Gold has also pressed up a limited number of specially-designed 2xLP/T-shirts/herb grinder/standard CD sets available for a very reasonable price.
While Run The Jewels is far from a feature-heavy project, El-P & Killer Mike still managed to phone in a few powerful guest spots: UK singer-producer Until The Ribbon Breaks, super-producer Prince Paul (De La Soul), and former Dungeon Family general Big Boi. It's more or less a care-free and less politically-charged affair in stark contrast with El-P & Killer Mike's slightly more serious, collectively gloomy past work(s); "Five tracks in and so far, Run The Jewels is a real good soundtrack for feeling pretty good about the world," Tom Breihan cheerfully Tweeted, so I guess it shows! Maybe it's a little early to go ahead and crown a Record of The Year and all... But I think Run The Jewels is already amongst the top of the class for 2013's strongest albums (so far), right alongside modern day Industrial-Rap masterpiece Yeezus. Anyways, if you aren't convinced by now, maybe you should just go ahead and get back to that
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