About five years ago, Killer Mike and El-P were rappers in their late 30s seemingly destined to be underappreciated for their talents and rich recording histories. Then Run the Jewels happened, and the two seemingly mismatched artists — Killer Mike from the Atlanta orbit of OutKast, El-P from the New York City underground — became one of hip-hop’s most recognizable and beloved duos. They’re now touring 5,000-seat theaters in America, playing to audiences 10 times the size of ones they could command individually.
"It’s like comic book s—," says comic book aficionado Killer Mike, aka Michael Render. "Like when your two favorite heroes end up in the same issue, that’s the way it feels right now."
The collaboration created sparks that surprised both MCs, and prompted them to explore and expand areas of their art in a way that led to some of the most indelible music of their careers. Both were coming off career high-point solo albums in 2012 — Killer Mike’s El-P-produced "R.A.P. Music" and El-P’s "Cancer 4 Cure" — when they began touring and then collaborating.
The self-titled Run the Jewels debut in 2013 had the hallmarks of a one-off: two gifted MCs reveling in big, boastful and wickedly funny putdowns and battle-rap rhymes. But since then the work has become more intensely personal and political. The duo self-released its latest, "Run the Jewels 3," in December with the country still reeling from a contentious presidential election, racial strife and overseas conflicts.
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"We felt we needed to put something out there because we’re all in this s— together and maybe let people know that they’re not alone," says El-P, aka Jaime Meline, of an album that addresses self-empowerment and resilience in times of strife. As he raps on "Talk to Me" from the new album: "I’m dirt. … I can’t be crushed."
"Some of the swagger went from playful rap s— to being playful and assertive about our lives," he says. "It’s not like, ‘Kids need to hear this,’ but it’s more like, what do I have to give? Maybe the thing I’ve learned is a confidence in our humanity that just comes from being around. That confidence in leading with your heart leads to our swagger. That’s part of our weaponry. I cannot be crushed, I’ve been here a long time, and that’s just a fact. I love that those lines double as bad-ass rap s—. You can imagine yourself saying that to someone and it feeling good. I got a lot of my perspective from rappers, I learned about being personally powerful from rap, so maybe I can give someone else that."
That Run the Jewels has become the center of a community is not lost on the duo. What started off as a bit of threatening bravado — "run the jewels" is street slang for a robbery — has taken on broader meaning. The rappers get photos of the Run the Jewels logo being used by their fans as a symbol of accomplishment and achievement, the notion that personal assertiveness and dignity is something that must be seized.
"The fans showed us what this was becoming," El-P says. "I didn’t think the logo would become this self-assertive, unifying thing — I thought it was just a cool logo — but we learned what it meant to other people, and it changed our idea about the group too. We didn’t have expectations when this started, no master plan, we just did some music and went on tour because we liked it. But we’ve become witnesses to how this was defined by the fans, and that ethos reflected back on us. It reinforced that instinct in me. On the first record we had ‘A Christmas F—— Miracle’ about being born with everything you could want and need even if you’re not rich. It’s part of what we were from the start, but now it’s grown because of the fans. They’ve made us bigger not just in a business way, but in a meaning way."
The relationship with the fans also helped bring a new dimension to Run the Jewels’ music, which has become more socially and politically explicit on the second and third albums. It also made room for an unexpected introspection and vulnerability to bubble through. On "Thursday in the Danger Room" from the latest album, Killer Mike and El-P mourn friends they have lost in tragic circumstances.
"A lot of my going there in that song is because I carry a lot — my grandmother will call it a burden, some call it guilt," Killer Mike says. "A record or piece of music or melody will open it up and bring it out of me in a moment. I’ve had friends who were murdered, friends who were murderers. … Life leaves scars — no one tells you of a mother being filled with so much hurt and pain that she can’t look at her own grandchildren anymore because it reminds her too much of what she lost. Murders aren’t solitary events. They have long-term effects, and I lived through my early 30s with grief and guilt over why did I make it and others didn’t. Now my real hope is that those who have survived can make something of themselves. I’m not religious, but I know we’re all flawed and we all have amends to make to one another. This is an opportunity to start doing that."
El-P was reluctant to push in a more personal direction, but was encouraged by what he calls Killer Mike’s "bravery" in going there. "The difference is, we never would ever imply that being a badass and being vulnerable are mutually exclusive," he says. "Our perspective on manhood and self-ownership are wrapped up in both stupid jokes and introspective songs, and that’s not contradictory."
By widening the scope of what Run the Jewels can be, El-P says, "I now don’t feel I have to do an El-P (solo) record besides this, because I can push myself into these new areas in this context and know it will sound dope."
That sense of freedom translates into transcendent concerts. There are photos of Run the Jewels’ early shows in which it appears the duo is levitating as they kick up their heels in unison in the middle of a particularly explosive break beat. That energy has only intensified as the audiences have grown.
"All these people showing up to our shows are not there as a reaction to something bad," Killer Mike says. "They are being proactive about something. In the same way that this music unifies me and El, it unifies these music lovers. If you’re going through some s—, this music can help you push through another day with swag."
Greg Kot co-hosts "Sound Opinions" at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 and 11 p.m. Saturday on WBEZ-FM 91.5.
Greg Kot is a Tribune critic.
greg@gregkot.com
Twitter @chitribent
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Aragon Ballroom, 1106 W. Lawrence Ave.
Tickets: $30.50; www.jamusa.com
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