Run the Jewels is the hip hop duo of Killer Mike and El-P, formed in New York City in 2013 after El-P produced Mike's R.A.P. Music — hardcore political rap with real chemistry. Every album has dropped as a free download on release day; RTJ2 (2014) and RTJ3 (2016) are the usual entry points. Shop Run the Jewels vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Run the Jewels formed in New York City in 2013 around Killer Mike (Michael Render, born April 20, 1975, Atlanta, Georgia) and El-P (Jaime Meline, born March 18, 1975, Brooklyn, New York). They had collaborated previously - El-P produced Killer Mike's 2012 album R.A.P. Music - and formed Run the Jewels following that successful collaboration. They are widely cited as one of the most important contemporary political hip hop acts - with direct anti-establishment, anti-capitalist, anti-police-brutality, and broader leftist political content combined with virtuosic technical lyricism. All four of their albums have been released as free downloads on their website (rtj.fan) on the day of digital release - commitment to accessibility, with vinyl/CD sales generating the band's revenue. Killer Mike pursued parallel solo work and 2023 album Michael (won the Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Album Grammy Awards in 2024). El-P had parallel work with the foundational Definitive Jux label (1999-2010) and his Company Flow earlier work. They have continued releasing material across multiple years with international touring presence.
Run the Jewels's sound combines hip hop, hardcore hip hop, political hip hop, conscious hip hop, alternative hip hop, and industrial hip hop with dual-vocalist interplay (Killer Mike / El-P chemistry), El-P's foundational dense production approach (use of industrial, electronic, and dystopian textures), and direct political content addressing anti-establishment themes, police brutality, capitalism critique, and broader contemporary American political discourse.
Mass Appeal Records and self-released pressings of the Run the Jewels catalog have been issued in extensive color variant editions and elaborate limited deluxe pressings, with collector demand.
Listeners new to Run the Jewels typically start with RTJ2 (2014) or RTJ3 (2016).
