Run the Jewels 2

Run the Jewels 2
Studio album by Run the Jewels
Released October 24, 2014 (2014-10-24)
Recorded 2013–14
Genre Hip hop
Length 38:56
Label
Producer
Run the Jewels chronology
Run the Jewels
(2013)		 Run the Jewels 2
(2014)		 Meow the Jewels
(2015)
Singles from Run the Jewels 2
  1. "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1"
    Released: September 2, 2014
  2. "Oh My Darling Don't Cry"
    Released: September 30, 2014
  3. "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)"
    Released: October 13, 2014

Run the Jewels 2 is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels, which consists of Killer Mike and El-P. The album was released early for free on October 24, 2014[1] and the following day on iTunes. It was made available on CD and LP through Mass Appeal Records on October 28, 2014.[2]

Run the Jewels 2 received widespread acclaim from critics for its darker and more layered production, Killer Mike and El-P's lyricism and chemistry and its guest contributions. Several publications also ranked it as the best album of 2014, including Pitchfork, Complex and Stereogum.[3][4][5] The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200, selling 12,000 copies in the first week.

A parody remix album, Meow the Jewels, was released for free featuring beats created entirely from cat sounds. In addition to Meow the Jewels, a standard remix album was scheduled to be released through Fool's Gold in 2015 as well.[6]

Singles

On September 2, 2014, Run the Jewels released a song titled "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1", as the album's first single.[7] On September 15, 2014, Run the Jewels released "Oh My Darling Don't Cry", the second offering from the album.[8] "Oh My Darling Don't Cry" was later released on September 30, 2014, via digital distribution, as the album's second single.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.4/10[10]
Metacritic89/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The A.V. ClubA−[13]
Consequence of SoundA−[14]
The Guardian[15]
HipHopDX4.5/5[16]
Los Angeles Times[17]
NME9/10[18]
Pitchfork9/10[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
Slant Magazine[21]

Run the Jewels 2 received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 89, based on 35 reviews.[11] David Jeffries of AllMusic stated, "If the first album was the supernova, RTJ2 is the RTJ universe forming, proving that Mike and El-P's one-off can be a going, and ever growing, concern."[12] Brian Josephs of The A.V. Club stated, "The sequel takes the simplistic thrills of the debut and expands the duo's natural chemistry. With Killer Mike grounded at the album's emotional core, El-P is free to indulge in his intrepid production tendencies."[13] Pat Levy of Consequence of Sound said, "An album like RTJ2 is rare. Decades from now, this album may just be revered as one of the best hip-hop records of our era, the total synchronicity of two talented artists reaching the apex of their prime."[14]

Paul Maclnnes of The Guardian stated, "While the duo deliver hard-nosed disses at a rate of knots. Early, meanwhile, matches distorted synth with an old-school storytelling piece about pursuit and arrest by the police. It's an unrelenting style, which may sound like overkill to some, but there's no disputing its power and sophisticated composition."[15] Kellan Miller of HipHopDX stated, "Throughout RTJ2 [El-P] holds his own rhyming alongside a superior wordsmith."[16] James Rainis of Slant Magazine stated, "RTJ2 is the rare sequel that bests the beloved original in almost every facet."[21] Dan Rys of XXL said, "For people looking for soulful, melodic hip-hop, this is not the album to pick up. Neither is it one for the kids who just want to repeat two words over and over again and call it a hook while jumping up and down and punching the air repeatedly. When listening to RTJ2, those feelings are translated into punches aimed at faces instead of spaces, and they always connect. The beats are grimy—typical of an El-P-produced project—and add even more grit to an album that doesn’t ooze confidence so much as shoves you in the chest with it."[22]

Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times stated, "Run the Jewels is the team of two indie titans, El-P and Killer Mike, who have upended convention by remaining idealistically true, artistically adventurous and creatively emboldened well into their second decade as rapper-producers. The pair's second album, released as a free download last week, proves it 11 times over."[17] Al Horner of NME said, "Cranking the urgency and confrontation of last year's self-titled debut to neck-breaking levels of intensity, RTJ2 is an urgent, paranoid album for a violent, panicked time. It's a bleak future Run The Jewels envision for America, but as long as Mike and El-P are collaborating, at least the future of hip-hop is in safe hands."[18] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork stated, "Sounding like nothing else and answering to nobody but its creators, Run the Jewels 2 is in a class by itself."[19] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone stated, "On their second album as Run the Jewels, noise-loving Brooklyn rapper-producer El-P and Atlanta's Killer Mike make the most explosive hip-hop you'll hear all year."[20]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank
The A.V. Club The 20 Best Albums of 2014[23] 2
Billboard Ten Best Rap Albums of 2014[24] 2
Complex 50 Best Albums of 2014[4] 1
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2014[25] 2
Pitchfork The Best Albums of 2014[3] 1
Rolling Stone 40 Best Rap Albums of 2014[26] 1
Spin 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2014[27] 1
Stereogum 40 Best Rap Albums of 2014[5] 1
Vibe 46 Best Albums of 2014[28] 2

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 12,000 copies in the United States.[29]

Track listing

No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Jeopardy"  
 3:21
2. "Oh My Darling Don't Cry"  
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[b]
  • Wilder Zoby[a]
 3:24
3. "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1"  El-P 2:32
4. "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" (featuring Zack de la Rocha)El-P 3:54
5. "All My Life"  
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[b]
 3:07
6. "Lie, Cheat, Steal"  
 3:28
7. "Early" (featuring Boots)
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[a]
 3:44
8. "All Due Respect" (featuring Travis Barker)
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[b]
  • Wilder Zoby[b]
 2:47
9. "Love Again (Akinyele Back)" (featuring Gangsta Boo)El-P 3:45
10. "Crown" (featuring Diane Coffee)
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar
 3:45
11. "Angel Duster"  
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[a]
 5:09
Total length:
 38:56
iTunes bonus track
No. TitleProducer(s) Length
12. "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 2" (featuring Despot and Wiki)El-P 2:39
Total length:
 41:35

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • Boots – featured artist, production, additional vocals (track 5)
  • Despot – featured artist
  • Diane Coffee – additional piano and vocals (track 10)
  • El-P – primary artist, producer
  • Gangsta Boo – featured artist
  • Isaiah "Ikey" Owens – piano (track 11)
  • James McNew – additional bass (track 7)
  • Kareem Bunton – additional vocals (track 11)
  • Kenya Hawkins – additional vocals (track 11)
  • Killer Mike – primary artist
  • Little Shalimar – production
  • Margot – strings (track 11)
  • Matt Sweeney – additional guitar (track 5)
  • Michael Winslow – robot voice (track 2)
  • Shay Bigga – additional vocals (track 9)
  • Smoota – additional trombone (track 1)
  • Trackstar the DJ – scratches (tracks 3 and 4)
  • Travis Barker – additional drums (track 8)
  • Wiki – featured artist
  • Wilder Zoby – production, additional organ (track 1), additional keys (track 11)
  • Zack de la Rocha – featured artist

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[30] 50
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[31] 9
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[32] 9
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[33] 6
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[34] 7

References

  1. ↑ El-P (October 23, 2014). "RUN THE JEWELS 2 DROPS NOW!!!!". Twitter. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  2. ↑ Minsker, Evan (September 2, 2014). "Killer Mike and El-P Detail Run the Jewels' RTJ2 Album, Announce Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Pitchfork. December 17, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Run the Jewels, *Run the Jewels 2* – The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Complex. December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "The 40 Best Rap Albums Of 2014". Stereogum. December 16, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Run the Jewels announces fall tour, details new album, RTJ2". The Swollen Fox. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1 – Single by Run The Jewels". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ Breihan, Tom (September 15, 2014). "Run The Jewels – "Oh My Darling Don't Cry"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Oh My Darling Don't Cry – Single by Run The Jewels". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Run The Jewels 2 by Run The Jewels reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Reviews for RTJ2 by Run the Jewels". Metacritic. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  12. 1 2 Jeffries, David. "RTJ2 – Run the Jewels / Killer Mike / El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Josephs, Brian (October 28, 2014). "Run The Jewels returns with fists balled tighter and trauma that runs deeper". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  14. 1 2 Levy, Pat (October 29, 2014). "Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  15. 1 2 MacInnes, Paul (November 6, 2014). "Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels 2 review – hard-nosed disses and old-school storytelling". The Guardian. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  16. 1 2 Miller, Kellan (October 28, 2014). "Run The Jewels – Run the Jewels 2". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  17. 1 2 Roberts, Randall (October 27, 2014). "'Run the Jewels 2': Headphone rap that nails it". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  18. 1 2 Horner, Al (November 4, 2014). "Run The Jewels – 'Run The Jewels 2'". NME. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  19. 1 2 Cohen, Ian (October 29, 2014). "Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels 2". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  20. 1 2 Dolan, Jon (November 5, 2014). "Run the Jewels 2". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  21. 1 2 Rainis, James (October 31, 2014). "Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels 2". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  22. ↑ Rys, Dan (October 30, 2014). "Killer Mike And El-P Are Relentless On New Album 'Run The Jewels 2'". XXL. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  23. ↑ "The 20 best albums of 2014". The A.V. Club. December 8, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  24. ↑ "The 10 Best Rap Albums of 2014". Billboard. December 11, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2014". Consequence of Sound. December 11, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  26. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher R. (December 23, 2014). "Run the Jewels, 'Run the Jewels 2' – 40 Best Rap Albums of 2014". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 2 (Mass Appeal / Sony RED)". Spin. December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  28. ↑ "The BIG List: 46 Albums From 2014 That Are Actually Worth Your Money". Vibe. December 2, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  29. ↑ Tardio, Andres (November 5, 2014). "Hip Hop Album Sales: T.I., Chris Webby, Logic". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  30. ↑ Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=305 "Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=326 Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=333 Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=335 Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard Top Rap Albums for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=407 Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
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