Run the Jewels

Just listening to RTJ3. Love it, El-P really is right at the top of the pile when it comes to production - it sounds gorgeous and, so far, each track gracefully merges into the next.

I know the real joy will come over the coming weeks as the lyrics slot into my brain but it SOUNDS amazing.

No free download this time?

My bad!

Ok I have listened to this about 5 times in the past 24 hours and on first impression it’s fucking ace. Stupidly early verdict is that it’s as good as RTJ1 (8/10) but not quite as amazing as RTJ2 (which is a 10/10 top-20 of the decade so far in my eyes)

As everyone has mentioned the production is pretty much the best out there not only in rap but possibly in any genre atm. Lyrics and music are also top notch, with possibly a minor criticism that they’re starting to re-tread certain parts of the first two albums. Will be interesting to see whether they decide to leave it as a trilogy or if this thing’s got any more legs.

In summary: it’s great, really pleasantly surprised (for no reason whatsoever I was really worried that they were going to have run out of steam)

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I’m gonna hold off until the CD arrives.
Sounds like this is gonna be another stone cold classic, and probably my album of 2017.

I’ve been listening a lot, and it’s definitely very good at least. I’m inclined to agree with your ratings of all 3 albums, although I do need time to live with this. There was a time when I thought RTJ2 was not as good as RTJ1 (!), so it shows how my views on the album can change.

I’m enjoying Talk To Me a lot more than when I heard it originally, and I love Legend Has It and Panther. Feels like Don’t Get Capture and Thieves will need a bit of time to sink in.

Danny Brown :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

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Lawro vs Run The Jewels!

What a glorious contest. Shame they didn’t comment on their score predictions.

God knows how this came about. Are they ‘soccer’ fans? El-P has Irish ancestry. Perhaps one of his relatives knows Lawro from his ROI playing days.

I’ve also found out that I share my birthday with Killer Mike. We also share it with Hitler.

The wonders of Wikipedia.

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4:20!

El-P says they know nothing about these predictions or football and have had no contact with the BBC. Wtf haha.

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Where?

On twitter, he was adamant about it and really confused but his tweets seem to have been deleted now. Somebody must have let him know it was done on their behalf or something, but he didn’t know anything about it.

To be fair, it’d have been even weirder if they actually had made the predictions.

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not really feeling this one tbh

I’m wondering if anyone can shed light on why the production sounds so good. Is it just a case of using good equipment or has my man got an ear for mixing or wut?

Me neither on first listen. Will give it another go on the way to work when my commute gets me all riled up…

Diminishing returns here, in the sense that too much of the same thing and it just doesn’t impress as much any more. The production, flows and lyrics are technically as good or even better than before, but it’s lacking in hooks or variation to keep up the interest.

I think it starts pretty well with Down, strong hook, emotional, memorable… Then we come to track two and it’s that heavy hitting shit talking RTJ track which doesn’t need a chorus cos they’ll just rap they asses off… And so is track 3… And 4… And 5… And 6…The beats all range from good to great but are kinda samey and the hooks are terrible. Danny Brown stops by to do exactly what you’d expect him to do over a beat that wouldn’t sound out of place on one of his albums.

Last third is much better. 2100 switches things up a bit. That opening “How long before our hate leads us to another holocaust…” line woke me up from my nap, good hook from Boots, Mike’s singing and the beat sticks out. Trina stand out here and Kamasi’s horns are cool, they clearly have chemistry with Zach de la Rocha. The best ideas, hooks and guests are loaded towards the back

R.A.P. Music is still their high watermark IMO. Mike was political, emotional, catchy, unrelenting, all over the kind of beats you would rarely hear a rapper with his background on. RTJ was a nice, off the cuff gift and RTJ 2 a catchy and bold victory lap. Despite some bright patches I’m not sure what RTJ 3 brings to the table apart from material for another tour.

6 or 7 out of 10 for me. Listened to it back to back with the Tribe record and the rapping (and production) is just so much more gripping and varied on that than this that they put RTJ to shame.

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Yeah it’s fucking great

I wasn’t feeling it :wink: Didn’t mean to write a whole essay though, could have abridged my grievances