El-P and Killer Mike aren’t the rappers we deserve, but I guess we got  lucky.  They set the scene on fire with their debut self-titled Run The Jewels album (what I considered to be the best hip hop album of 2013) and created much anticipation around their Run The Jewels 2 after the release of the politically-charged Blockbuster Night pt. 1. 

Last night, the duo quietly released the album for free to their e-mail subscribers with a simple message:

AW FUCK IT.  WE CAN’T WAIT ANY LONGER.

If you like what you hear and want to support, please check out the amazing collection of RTJ vinyl, CD and merch too!  You can also buy it at your favorite record store or from iTunes, which includes an exclusive bonus track feat. Despot and Wiki of Ratking.  The album will be commercially available on 10.27, courtesy of our friends at Mass Appeal Records.

And just like that, we were blessed with Run The Jewels 2. It is one of the most raw, authentic hip hop albums I’ve heard in a decade. In what’s been a phenomenal year for hip hop, these two are yet again making a run at my heart for best hip hop album of the year.

RTJ2 isn’t just a bunch of singles about money clumsily strung together and packaged to be marketed on iTunes, it’s a chronicle of the life experiences of two nearly 40 year old men who have actually lived through a fair amount of ****. (The ever-respectable Chris Weingarten of Rolling Stone got a wonderfully candid interview with the duo including much of the back story surrounding RTJ). The production is both raw and progressive capturing much of the spirit of 90’s east coast rap but with an updated set of sounds and little constraint.

If you do one thing this weekend, listen to this rap album. Download it. If you like it, buy a record, go to a show. That’s how it’s ****ing suppoed to work and these guys get it. They’ve got wisdom. Let them share it.

I’m getting a record AND going to a show… remove the chain!  Dates below:

Update:

The boys uploaded Blockbuster Night Pt. 2 (Ft. Despot & Wiki) and have revealed their Tag The Jewels art project involving graffiti artists from around the world throwing up that distinguishable RTJ “Stickup” graphic art that’s adorned both their albums. Check it out:

Run The Jewels

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Download Run The Jewels 2

Tour Dates:

10/24 – Columbia, SC – Music Farm %

10/25 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm %

10/31 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts *

11/1 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club *

11/2 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater *

11/3 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *

11/4 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade *

11/6 – Dallas, TX – Trees *

11/7 – Austin, TX – Fun Fun Fun Fest

11/8 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s *

11/10 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom *

11/11 – La Jolla, CA – Porters Pub *

11/12 – Pomona, CA – Glass House *

11/13 – Los Angeles – The Echo

11/14 – San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine +

11/15 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater *

11/17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge *

11/18 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre *

11/20 – Minneapolis, MN – First Line Music Café *

11/21 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre *

11/22 – Chicago, IL – Metro *

11/25 – Detroit, MI – St Andrews Hall *

11/26 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall *

11/27 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda *

11/28 – Boston, MA – Paradise *

11/29 – New York, NY – Stage 48 *

12/10 – Glasgow – Glasgow Garage

12/11 – Manchester – Gorilla

12/12 – London – Koko

12/13 – Paris – La Bellevilloise

12/15 – Helsinki –  Tavastia

12/16 – Stockholm – Debaser Strand

12/19 – Copenhagen – Pumpehuset

12/20 – Utrecht – Tivoli Vredenburg

12/21 – Dublin – Opium Rooms

12/30 – Falls Festival – Lorne, Australia

12/31 – Falls Festival – Marion Bay, Australia

1/1 – Falls Festival – Byron Bay, Australia

1/3 – Southbound Festival – Busselton, Australia

1/7 – HiFi – Sydney, Australia ^

1/8 – The Forum – Melbourne, Australia ^

1/9 – James Caberet – Wellington ^

1/10 – Studio – Auckland ^

% Red Bull Sound Select show

* with Rat King & Despot

+ with Despot

Oh my.

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Run The Jewels – RTJ2