It seemingly came out of nowhere, but RUN THE JEWELS is one of the best hip hop projects of the last couple of years. After two critically acclaimed albums, RTJ now have enough songs to back that up with a live show that translates EL-P's heavy beats and his and Killer Mike's tenacious raps into something both fun and powerful. The list of all-time great hip hop duos is actually pretty long, when you consider everyone from OutKast to EPMD to Mobb Deep to Black Star, but seeing EL-P and Killer Mike live last Thursday in Los Angeles, it seems they deserve a place somewhere on the list.
The LA show featured elements not seen elsewhere on the RUN THE JEWELS tour, including guest spots from Gangsta Boo, Travis Barker, and Zach de la Rocha. They also had some pretty tight lasers, something I've never seen at a rap show this side of Coachella before.
While Killer Mike's voice was almost completely shot, he valiantly tore through his material with energy, stage presence, and humor. Both rappers on multiple occasions referenced Ferguson and racial equality, which was a nice break from the apolitical hip hop shows that dominate the mainstream. Also contrary to what's hot in rap right now, the only reference to wealth and money was the metaphorical gold in 36" Chain.
The concert was part of the Red Bull Sound Select's 30 Days in LA campaign, and like the other events so far in the month of September, they brought together a diverse group of Angeleños who love music.
Photos via Red Bull Content Pool.
