That old line about how movie sequels rarely live up to the original has always applied to music too. The so-called sophomore jinx has ruined the career of many an artist, never quite hitting the same heights as a classic debut.
With Run the Jewels 2, El-P and Killer Mike have gone and pulled a Godfather Part II. If last year’s debut album was a modern classic, then Run the Jewels 2 is even better. It’s darker, dirtier and way more fucked-up than the original, and all the better for it.
What we have here is two artists high as a kite on confidence from just how well their music is being received. For lesser acts, this can lead to complacency. For others, it brings out the best in them. Jamie and Mike know how good they are, and they know we know how good they are.
That’s why RTJ2 is almost the perfect album, with virtually every track the kind you want to listen to again and again. Standouts include Jeopardy, Oh My Darling Don’t Cry, and Close Your Eyes with Zack de la Rocha, who reminds us all that while he may not make rap music, he can rap with the best of them. El-P’s production work is impeccable; weird enough to be his own signature sound, but accessible and head-nodding enough to keep it grounded. As for the lyrics, both rappers are angry as hell, and it works like a charm.
The true genius of Run the Jewels, still one of the most unlikely collaborations in hip-hop, is that both artists have approached it as blank canvas, despite each one having a huge backlog of music to their name. It doesnt matter if you know everything that has come before (the classic Company Flow and Def Jux material from El-P, the Outkast features from Mike), or if this is the first time you’ve come across them. We are all on the the same page at this point, and by discarding any preconceptions of the music we expect them to release, Run the Jewels are making exactly the type of music they want to.
On those rare occasions where a movie sequel does live up to the original, the one after that is usually garbage. Watch Godfather Part III if you don’t believe us. Run the Jewels is a saga we want to see rolling on forever, and judging by the new album, things are only going to keep getting better.
Don’t forget that RTJ2 being out means we are also one step closer to getting Meow the Jewels, potentially the most incredible album in the history of music ever. Or maybe not. Only time will tell. Until then, enjoy what’s probably the best work that either of these two guys have ever produced. And when you do consider the music they have been involved in before now, that’s some accolade.
RTJ2 is out now on Mass Appeal.