After first meeting each other in 2011, Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike and New York-based rapper-producer hybrid EL-P hit it off right away, which led to collaborative efforts on each other’s solo projects. Two years later, the duo became an official hip-hop supergroup with the release of their self-titled debut Run the Jewels. With Killer Mike’s politically charged rhymes and EL-P’s beastly production chops, Run the Jewels quickly became favorites, and that was only solidified by their followup album Run the Jewels 2, released in October of 2014.
Since then, the two hip-hop pioneers have taken it a bit easier, releasing the hilarious remix album Meow the Jewels, composed entirely of cat sounds, and also jumping on a track with the legendary DJ Shadow. Now, exactly two years after their sophomore album was released, Run the Jewels has finally returned with the same fire that has won them praise from young listeners and old heads alike.
Their newest single, dubbed “Talk To Me”, is one of the 25 tracks premiered in the 2016 Adult Swim Singles Program, and features Run the Jewels picking up right where they left off. As per usual, EL-P slays with a heavy-hitting and pulsating beat, and also lays down some fire rhymes in the second verse.
Killer Mike attacks the beat with that fast-paced breathless flow, getting overtly political with lines like “my job is to fight for survival/In spite of all of these all lives matter-ass white folk.” The political rapper also took a swing at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the track, spitting “Went to war with the devil and Shaitan/He wore a bad toupee and a spray tan.”
Though their verses are usually packed with satirical commentary on politics and society, “Talk To Me” shows Run the Jewels in more furious and critical form. Though Run the Jewels 3 has yet to be given a release date, fans can expect a release sooner rather than later, as both rappers drop hints in the new track that RTJ 3 is coming any day now.