Killer Mike and El-P to Release Album as Run The Jewels

Photographer Dave Lichterman
April 09, 2013

Update 5/31/2013: You can now download "Banana Clipper," which features a verse from Big Boi, via MissInfo. Fool's Gold will release a free Run The Jewels LP in June. The duo will tour the US and Canada in July and August; see a full schedule of dates here.

Download: Run The Jewels f. Big Boi, "Banana Clipper"

—————

"So me and my friend started a rap group," wrote Killer Mike today, after former collaborator El-P announced the pair's new joint project, Run The Jewels. The name, which references a 1990 LL Cool J lyric, is "kind of a nod to our age," El-P told SPIN. "Basically it's just some tough sounding shit that can mean a lot. It encapsulates what Mike and I bond over, the era we love." Following solo albums last year—El-P produced all of Mike's R.A.P. Music and Mike rapped on El-P's Cancer 4 Cure—they're currently at work on a new album, recording at producer Nick Hook's Brooklyn studio. Mike says the goal is to finish up by Juneteenth. Hear a first taste of "Banana Clipper," featuring verses from both guys and friendship boasts like Producer gave me a beat, said it's the beat of the year/ I said El-P didn't do it, so get the fuck out of here.

Stream: Run The Jewels, "Banana Clipper (Snippet)"

Killer Mike and El-P to Release Album as Run The Jewels