There’s no place for heroes in hip hop. It’s a villain’s
world and El-P and Killer Mike are out to be the meanest and most cartoonishly
evil rappers in the history of the game.
On their last record they were shooting poodles and beating the bottoms of feet. Now they’re back and sounding twice as mean, ready to take on the entire rap game. Why? Because they feel like it, and because they can.
On their last record they were shooting poodles and beating the bottoms of feet. Now they’re back and sounding twice as mean, ready to take on the entire rap game. Why? Because they feel like it, and because they can.
Insults on this album are delivered with impressive wit and disorientating
speed. This is all backed up by El-P’s flamboyant production. The beats are even
more colourful than on their debut, with one track sporting drumming from
Travis Barker, another containing synths that sound like they’re straight out
of Blade Runner. Everything is so hi-octane it’s difficult to know what to zone
into. It’s like watching an explosion packed action movie in 3D.
However, beneath the theatrics there seems to be some depth
too. This is not a Michael Bay blockbuster, but rather a Tarantino or a Scorsese
hit. ‘Love Again’ is so dirty and
sexually explicit, it at first seems repulsive. However, on closer inspection
it seems to be mocking the hypersexual attitudes of other rappers with Killer
Mike referencing ‘alpha arrogance’, El-P taking his verse to almost rapey
levels and guest star, Gangsta Boo, representing female sexuality more
aggressively than any female rapper has dared or wanted to before.
Arguably, the amount of guest stars doesn’t quite give the
record the two-people-vs-the-world feel that was so exciting on the band’s
debut (which it's important to point out happened to be my favourite album of 2013). The debut also
had novelty to it that this record obviously can’t achieve. However, RTJ2 makes
up for these lacking components with more diverse instrumentation and an upped
intensity. It's without a doubt the most thrilling, fun and cohesive album I’ve
heard all year. Hell, Run the Jewels could well be in
the running for this year’s top spot too.
★★★★★
TRACK TASTER: