Well, it happened y’all,
I found a gray chest hair. Gray hair on your head looks distinguished, you can finesse some grays in your fade. Gray chest hair means the party is over, I’m a whole adult. I gotta have an opinion on multi-vitamins, high yield savings accounts and Run The Jewels.
So with that said, let’s get into “Run The Jewels 4”
First things first, El-P and Killer Mike have amazing chemistry. They mesh together like John Stockton and that Pedophile he used to play with. Everyone praises Killer Mike but El-P seriously deserves his flowers. Son’s been consistent since Company Flow and his work as a producer is out of this world. Killer Mike has an undeniable presence but El-P is what really makes this group special. Shout out to El-P. I truly believe he brings the best out of Killer Mike. Killer Mike raps with so much conviction and makes you feel every bar to the point the rest of the world drowns out. He’s so good you forget all the dumb things he’s said on the internet. Ironically the best way to ignore a Killer Mike interview is to listen to a Killer Mike Song.
This is good music to blast in your car and turn down immediately when a group of black teenagers walk by. Trust me, if you need to turn up before you gotta teach Science in your “Teach For America” program, this album will get you through being called a “bitch ass nigga” by a 7th grader in black filas and an ashy black tee. There’s a sense of safe danger here. This album is the perfect soundtrack for getting a Pickle Rick tattoo that’ll fade in 2 months because green doesn’t look good on dark skin.
On a musical level there’s not really any flaws, again, Killer Mike and El-P are two amazing artists that have amazing chemistry. The issue is more that if you’ve heard one RTJ album, you’ve heard all of them. Picking a favorite is like picking your favorite Lethal Weapon movie; they’re all pretty much the same. This is part of the reason the fanbase is mostly older white dudes, the music is consistently the same so there’s no real risk, just like whiteness. Eventually you can just tune them out and go about your business without digesting the lyrics. For me to truly enjoy an RTJ album I have to listen for maybe a week straight and then leave it alone for 10 months.
This was fun to listen to and thanks to the Quarantine I can listen to it without watching RTJs core audience enjoy it. I give it 6.5 awkward daps our of 8