Run The Jewels 2

One of the greatest hip-hop albums of the century so far - along with their other three! An album so good I listened to all their other albums within a day or so of this one. Well worthy of a place in the book, probably instead of some terrible 80s British indie!

Nasty. Absolutely adore how every beat on here sounds like I should be running away from it. One of the best hip hop albums of the 2010s, no question.

Run The Jewels 2 is the second album of hip hop formation Run The Jewels (this seems to be an otiose sentence). I like their other albums also very much. They are more of less a 2010/2020s version of Run DMC. Very basic beats and instrumentation with up-tempo basic raps. But everything is to the point and delivered with a conviction that it's absolutely essential. And it is. Also loads of fun on this record.

I love Run the Jewelz 4

Out of all the Run The Jewels albums, *2* is without the shadow of a doubt their crowning achievement on a hip hop culture standpoint -- even though I admit that I also have a very soft spot for the relentless barrage of bangers found in *4*, released at the apex of the Black Lives Matter movement to boot. One thing's for sure, from *RTJ1* to *RTJ4*, Killer Mike and El-P have been highly consistent on every level -- music-wise, production-wise, lyrics-wise, flow-wise, topical-wise, swag-wise, whatever-aspect-you-like-about-rap-music-wise. The sound created by those now two seasoned veterans harks back to the best of the nineties hip hop golden age, yet it also remains fresh, vital, current and highly inventive, thanks to the off-kilter production chops of El-P (sometimes assisted by Little Shalimar and Wilder Zoby on this one release). El-P is also a great rapper whose rough-around-the-edges persona oozes with tons of charisma, and Killer Mike is a master at his game as well -- precise, sharp, sometimes menacing, other times humourous or heartfelt, always on-point. So *of course* you need at least one album from the duo in this list. What I enjoy most specifically about *2* is its incremental nature -- how the album builds up from one track to the next. I very often love that sort of dynamic in an album, no matter what the music genre is, especially when said build-up feels seamless, as it most certainly does here. And it's not as if things started off with low stakes either. "Jeopardy" and "Oh My Darling Don't Cry" might be relatively slow cuts -- expansive for the first, more minimalistic for the second -- the rapping intensity on them is already firing on all cylinders. Two bangers then follow, "Blockbuster Night Pt. 1" -- still slow but also hypnotic as hell -- "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)", a raucous bop featuring RATM's Zack De La Rocha. Those bangers are soon joined by yet a couple of even greater ones: "Lie, Cheat, Steal", with its stellar chorus / main hook telling you all you need to know about the sad state of the American dream in the 21st Century -- and yet still pulling it off in a fun and tongue-in-cheek manner; and "Early", suddenly displaying the necessary gravitas to tackle the subject of police brutality, also conveyed by a poignant instrumental electronic section in the middle of the song (on that subject of police violence, also check out "Walking In The Snow" in *RTJ4*, by the way). One (great) track later, "Love Again" pays a tribute to the tradition of male rappers boasting about their sexual prowess, only to turn the thing on its head at the end, by bringing woman rapper Gangsta Boo do the exact same thing so as to "dominate" men (RIP, Boo). The real topic of the song is love and pleasure, as its title indicates. It's a 100% fun romp, but then RTJ pulls a 180-degree turn on you by going as serious and introspective as they can in the album's last leg. "Crown" narrates Mike's distant past as a cocaine dealer in his youth, and sees him expressing remorse about the whole thing. And closer "Angel Duster" goes from that starting point to broaden the scope to paint a bleak picture of the bitter "state of the union". The dystopian, synth- and strings-laden soundscapes are perfect for those themes, and conclude the album on a very high note. So, to put it in a nutshell, what we have here is conscious rap mixed with tons of braggadocio -- a match made in heaven, like the association of the two hip hop luminaries at the core of this legendary project. Hip hop very rarely gets any better than this, kiddies! Excellent choice from this user who definitely knows his proverbial shit for that music style, among many others. Jewels, gems and rubies shine strong on this one. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 for the production values + 4.5 for the artistry) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 114 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 119 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 264 ---- Émile, *quatre* nouveaux messages pour toi au dessus, du *Solid State Survivor* de Yellow Magic Orchestra au *Atrocity Exhibition* de Danny Brown

This is exceptional. I wish I'd heard it sooner. Also, I desperately want to hear the cat version.

I was a fan from fairly early in, having first encountered Killer Mike back when Adult Swim was cool, and I think probably getting into this album first after being alerted by the amusing media and creepy early video releases around the Meow the Jewels remix album. I haven't disliked anything they've put out - the style, the flow, the music are all great and unique.

Oh My Darling Don’t Cry // Lie, Cheat, Steal // 3.5/5

Intense… and I liked this more than I expected to! Not squarely my thing but definitely could hear the quality.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Oh my darling don’t cry, Blockbuster night pt. 1, Close your eyes

4.5

This albums runs on those low en heavy bassnotes. Couple that with the flow and you get this dark album which oozes a kind of urgence. Nice!

I'm a dyed in the wool RtJ fan and have been for about a decade now. They just go so hard. I think I like RtJ4 better than this, but it's still an iconic album from a great fuckin' group.

I listened to this album a ton and I am a huge fan of this rap duo. This album is amazing with so many perfect songs. So happy to see them on the user list!

Run the Jewels is a power duo that was bound to happen one way or another. Despite coming from different backgrounds, Killer Mike from the southern hip hop scene and El-P from the underground east coast hip hop scene, the two found themselves collaborating more often than not starting in the 2010s. Following a successful co-headliner tour for their respective solo releases, Killer Mike and El-P joined forces for a project they called Run the Jewels. The first album, released as a free digital download in 2013, was more of a test run to gauge audience interest. This proved to be successful, so here we have the real deal from RTJ with their sophomore album. I remember thinking Run the Jewels 2 was some of the best hip hop at the time of its release. Now, I'm not so sure if I would hold that opinion, but it certainly stands out compared to its contemporaries. While trap music was on the rise throughout the 2010s, RTJ was keeping hardcore hip hop held down with El-P's signature production that makes literally every beat on this album stand out. It certainly helps that both men trade bars with incredible finesse and personality, making each song memorable in its own way. Features are also incredibly strong throughout, with names such as Zack de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine and Gangsta Boo from the Three 6 Mafia contributing memorable verses. While the album does tend to slow down near the end with the final two tracks (save for the bonus), RTJ's second album shows consistent quality throughout and remains memorable over ten years after its release. I can't bring myself to disparage it even a little bit. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Yeah, throw it on there! More hip hop is needed from the 2010s.

Despite knowing about both El-P and Killer Mike I’ve never actually sat down with this album. It’s good! Energetic performances throughout, solid features, and El-P brings his signature production

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Identifying RTJ : It's RTJ!

Super fun

Fine, if you like this sort of thing.

Did not get my interest during most of the album

This was another album that, to my ears, was nothing special.