Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels
Critic Score
Based on 29 reviews
2013 Ratings: #26 / 1115
Year End Rank: #29
User Score
2013 Rank: #112
Liked by 389 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
The Skinny

With Run The Jewels, El-P and Killer Mike deliver an object lesson in the first principles of hip-hop. The beats are a showcase in minimalist effectiveness – walking the line between sick, infectious loops, and breaks and bridges which mirror and emphasise the stress-points of the lyrical content.

100
Sputnikmusic

Run The Jewels is no exception to the group's preexisting cannon of groundbreaking releases. 

90
The 405

It's still going to take a much stronger, more original, and more distinctive album than Yeezus to knock this off its perch as rap album of the year so far.

90
God Is in the TV
They’ve taken rap back from the businessmen and they’ve done it in broad daylight. But there’s no getaway car. No resulting car chase. The goblins were awakened and they’re standing tall at the scene of the crime, sharing a blunt and daring anybody to try and catch them.
86
Paste

It’s powerful in both delivery and in effect, without being heavy-handed or sacrificing form. Both rappers take the opportunity to show their longtime supporters that they were right all these years, that they bet on the right horses. 

85
Pitchfork

It's just a distilled take on everything that made last year's albums such an event, with all the chrome ripped off and upholstery pulled out so it'll run faster, louder, nastier.

85
Spectrum Culture
Run the Jewels does so well at conveying the current urban struggle that is exists outside of 2013, eventually deserving placement within the works of socially-conscious artists like Nas, Black Star and Zion I.
83
Beats Per Minute

This is sound of two dons recognising their rightful place at the top of the summit, surveying their kingdom and proceeding to piss all over it. 

80
The Independent
It’s a masterful set, stuffed with brooding, industrial-synth beats.
80
Clash
These 10 tracks comprise a head-and-shoulders-above collection that immediately imprints itself as one of the best hip-hop records of 2013 so far.
80
The Irish Times
This new free-to-download album is a collection of rich, energised high watermark moments showing that Jigga and Ye aren’t the only rappers who combine forces.
80
Drowned in Sound

They have the dynamic of a vintage rap twosome, complete with the vocal cues and set-up lines that you just don’t get from artists operating out of different studios. 

80
DIY

It's a swaggering victory lap for two artists at the peak of their creativity; it's a record that sees their talents fused in the most cohesive way; it's a coming together of immense talents.

80
HipHopDX

It’s a harsh listen that’s likely more obscure to casual, Top-40 listeners than R.A.P. Music. That’s too bad for them, because Mike and El-P seemingly unleash every item in their B-boy tool kit this time around. 

80
FACT Magazine

Run the Jewels is savage and witty, rich in gritty truths and genuinely affecting wisdom. It may not be the best thing either artist has done, but fans of both will still find plenty to love.

80
Consequence of Sound

Run the Jewels ... is the very synthesis of El-P and Mike’s shared admiration and cohesive worldviews, an effort of the purest collaboration and mutual understanding.

80
SPIN

This quick, free joint project is comparatively frizzy, and doesn't leave a bruising stain of forced mind expansion -- just a pleasant memory of good times had by reclaiming “jewels” from the corporate overlords of mainstream rap

80
AllMusic

The introductory salvo from rap superduo Run the Jewels is a fine example of a union that is so perfect one might wonder how the universe existed before it.

80
Tiny Mix Tapes
This is an unfettered, deservedly ecstatic victory lap that’s riddled with in-jokes.
75
The Line of Best Fit

Run the Jewels not only surmounts Charybdis, but does so head held high, able to be considered – and enjoyed – upon its own merits.

70
Rolling Stone
The vibe is somewhere between the coherence of an album and the casual flow of a mixtape.
70
Exclaim!

Run The Jewels is no classic, but a ferocious, fun record. You heard the men: up those rings and chains for the dopest villainous duo.

UltimateLifeFrm
70

Another recommendation from @ThePurpleIdiot

Short, but swift & full of fire!!

Run The Jewels' self-titled debut album was released in June 2013. It was recorded earlier that year at Sneaky (Gamson, NY) & The Space Pit (Brooklyn, NY).

Well, this went harder than I was prepared for... I've been holding back on Run The Jewels' music for quite a while. I've heard one of El-P's albums a while back (Cancer 4 Cure), which I absolutely loved for how hard it went.

Now I can finally ... read more

ImpalaLT
84

Sometimes, you wish it was longer.

This is their debut album made by legendary rapper/producer El-P and Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, released for free on their website in 2013.

The album came out with a lot of critical acclaim, with people calling this album “remarkably fun,” and in all honesty, this album is jam-packed with fun.

El-P is one of my favorite producers of all time. I like the minimalism in this EP, and both rappers in the duo’s rapping style fit everything ... read more

Bobby792003
90

NOTE: I’m going to do re-reviews of the RTJ albums. I believe they deserve better reviews than what I gave them before. So, get ready, hip-hop heads!

Run the Jewels’s self-titled is one of the best debuts of recent memory. While it doesn’t seem objectively interesting today, back in 2013, it shook up the hip-hop scene by introducing the world to a surprisingly fine rap duo: Killer Mike and El-P. But before they were able to release more well-received projects like ... read more

Jimshair46
70

Run the Jewels Review #1, El-P Review #1 & Killer Mike Review #1 "Run the Jewels" Album

While being the prototype and the worst in the series, Run the Jewels 1 is still really good. I've always loved the self-titled song.

Liked Tracks: Run the Jewels, Banana Clipper, 36" Chain, Sea Legs, No Come Down, Get It, A Christmas Fucking Miracle

Favourite Track: Run the Jewels

Worst Track: Twin Hype Back

Teddycraft2000
81

I like this a lot. It's weird, wacky and sounds really good

haramthug
92

Amazing performances over some of the hardest beats of all time, twin hype back is kinda stinky in comparison though.

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Track List

1Run the Jewels
3:30
92
2Banana Clipper
2:51
feat. Big Boi
87
336" Chain
2:52
79
4DDFH
3:05
84
5Sea Legs
3:40
83
6Job Well Done
2:59
79
7No Come Down
3:28
76
8Get It
3:00
81
9Twin Hype Back
3:12
64
10A Christmas Fucking Miracle
4:21
90
Total Length: 33 minutes
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Added on: June 22, 2013