Few duos have emerged in hip hop as forcefully and creatively as Run The Jewels. Comprising the dynamic duo of Killer Mike and El-P, Run The Jewels has solidified its place in the genre. Their innovative productions, rebellious lyricism, and staggeringly prescient social commentary. As fans eagerly anticipate each new release, the question arises: Where are Killer Mike and El-P now, both as individual artists and as the formidable force that is Run The Jewels?
The iconic rap duo tout an impressive following of over 1.4 million monthly Spotify listeners, and frequently release merch drops in collaboration with small businesses to promote their brand. Run The Jewels have released four self-titled albums between 2013 and 2020, leaving fans to eagerly awaiting a rumored fifth installment in the RTJ series. Here's a look at what the duo, sometimes nicknamed Yankee and the Brave, have been up to in recent years.
Killer Mike
Killer Mike and El-P each had prolific solo careers in the hip hop underground before joining forces to launch Run The Jewels. In 2023, Mike took a break from focussing on the dual effort to return to his roots as a solo act. The rapper, whose real name is Michael Render, released his sixth and most recent solo album in June of 2023, to heaps of critical praise.
The album, simply titled Michael, serves as a deep exploration into the roots of Mike's family life and early career. With features from hip hop legends such as André 3000, Young Thug, Ty Dolla $ign, and CeeLo Green, the record stands out as a deep and transformative body of work. El-P also appears on the record, both vocally and as a producer, proving that the duo continue to exhibit undeniable chemistry together on wax. Michael was nominated for Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards, solidifying its place as one of the best outings in Mike's solo discography.
In the years since Run The Jewels' last release, Killer Mike has also appeared on camera in a number of television roles. Mike has portrayed a fictional version of himself in series' such as Chillin Island, Ozark, Billions, and Lil Dicky's semi-autobiographical FX series Dave. Mike has also flexed his acting chops by playing characters such as Money Montez Sheffield in Big Bruh and Boxy Brown in Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm. The deluxe edition release of Michael dropped in September 2023, with 4 new groundbreaking tracks.
El-P
Like Killer Mike, El-P has taken on a few new projects since the most recent Run The Jewels release in 2020. El-P exhibits proficiency both on the mic as a rapper and behind the boards as a world-class producer. As a result, he has provided earth-shattering beats to a wide array of rappers and singers in recent years. El produced and rapped on the track "Don't Let The Devil" for Killer Mike's Michael album, which served as a stand-out track on the star-studded release.
El-P also provided intense vocal performances for tracks such as "Heavy Water" for billy woods, and most recently "Big Youth" by the dark wave collective Crosses. He also provided the hyper and frenetic instrumental to the Armand Hammer track "The Gods Must Be Crazy" which released as a single in September 2023. In 2020, El provided the original score for the feature film Capone, which serves as a biopic for the notorious gangster.
As a duo, Run The Jewels have released a series of tracks in the years since RTJ4 premiered as well. The pair united for features on tracks by Black Thought and Westside Gunn respectively in 2022. The rappers also joined forces to produce the opening theme music to Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm. While no official announcement has been made regarding a fifth Run The Jewels album, the duo have confirmed that they have been working on new music while touring throughout 2023. The group's third and fourth albums both dropped in the height of intense presidential elections, leading some fans to speculate that the latest release could be just around the corner as the 2024 election comes to a boiling point.
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