At first, there was just a kind of delight to it all, these two guys pushing each other, trying to outdo each other’s shit talk, thinking of outlandish ways to reinvent dick jokes and use the word “fuck.” Run The Jewels albums felt like you were getting to hang with two skilled rappers who were just psyched to be in each other’s company, and those albums in turn overflowed with humor and charisma. There were so many reasons the newfound symbiosis of El-P and Killer Mike led to such transformation for both of them. These guys were bonded, and they were making some of the best music of their careers. No longer was this a lark, a side gig before El and Mike went back to their own worlds. RTJ2 came out and instantly dominated 2014. Run The Jewels was already a success story, a meeting of minds and voices that was adored by those that came across it, that was adored by everyone who saw the chemistry between El and Mike onstage after they’d smirkingly walk out to “We Are The Champions.” Then there was another one, Run The Jewels 2, a stunning level-up arriving just over a year later. Run The Jewels’ self-titled album arrived the next year. Everything clicked: They hit it off, liked working together, decided to form a group. El-P released Cancer For Cure - which also featured an appearance from Mike - within weeks of R.A.P. At first, it was just about El producing Killer Mike’s next solo album - which became the great 2012 release R.A.P. Jaime Meline, better known as El-P, and Michael Render, better known as Killer Mike, first met through a mutual friend, Adult Swim exec Jason DeMarco. It’s a story everyone could get behind, and they did. And then, once they got together, everything changed - a casual experiment that led to crowd-pleasing victory laps and creative evolution. Two artists who were respected but seemed destined for perennial underdog status. Two artists pushing each other to new heights, two men who found a new best friend in middle age. Two artists with very different backgrounds and milieus, joining together in their late 30s and, instead of functioning like a one-off or a curiosity, unlocking a whole new chapter of their lives. Run The Jewels always made it easy to root for them.
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