Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2

October 27, 2014 • Mass Appeal

We ran the jewels once last year, and now it's time for round two—and I'd be lying if I said I haven't been pumped for this release. El-P has been on fire lately, and he still shows no signs of stopping with this album.

Run the Jewels 2 is about as perfect of a sequel as you could ask for, if you wanted more of the same. It's basically the same album as the original—the same production style, the same crazy sampling, the same great beats that are impossible not to jam along to. It doesn't feel like a collection of leftovers from the original sessions or B-sides or anything like that, and the first four tracks are about as perfect as things get. I love the sparse, bass-heavy, aggressive beats like on "Oh My Darling Don't Cry" or "Close Your Eyes". The album on the whole does feel a little heavier than the debut, which I like a lot.

The momentum does slow down a little bit on the second half, as things slow down and get less intense and violent and a little more introspective (for some godforsaken reason) (except "All Due Respect" which is appropriately bangin'). The low point arrives at "Love Again", in no small part thanks to the overly-sexually-charged lyrics. I've never like that kind of thing, particularly when it's as dumb as it is here. (It doesn't help that the guest rapper herself isn't really very good at all. But on that note, I love Zach de la Rocha's appearance on "Close Your Eyes"—where has that guy been??)

But this is definitely a worthy follow-up, debatable as good as or maybe even a touch better than the first album. Necessary listening for anyone who even remotely liked the first one—especially since they've released both for free. Now: time to look forward to Meow the Jewels.

Trash Talk, Left Brain

June 19, 2014 • The Summit, Columbus, Ohio

I remember the last time I was at the Summit—twenty attendees, four great emo bands moping it up. Today's show could not have possibly been more different. Ten times more people, half as many bands, infinite more twerking.

Left Brain

This set wasn't quite what I was expecting. I don't know much about Left Brain but I was hoping for some dark gritty Odd Future beats. What I got was a tablet and a pretty run-of-the-mill set of modern popular hip hop artists (and a few leftfield ones like Lil B) with a very dance-club-sounding result. I'm not sure how much of it was actual original material, since I haven't heard much, but it wasn't really anything that particularly interested me. It was entertaining, though, to see all the punkers (including myself) just kind of hanging around back waiting for the drunk kids to wear themselves out. I guess I don't party hard enough for this crowd.
4 • Best Bill Cosby Look-Alike Award

Trash Talk

Fortunately Trash Talk didn't disappoint—even though their music has been a bit on the decline lately (at least a little), their live show still rocks pretty hard. Short, one-minute stop-start songs don't often make for a great show, especially when the breaks between the songs are just as long, but their playing was spot-on and the energy was good. Extra props for opening with the older track "Walking Disease", one of my favorites by them. Weirdly most people in the audience were either moshing or looking bored (only a few of us seemed only moderately interested in the set). Still worth seeing, especially considering it's a free tour.
7 • What Was the Point of Having Everyone Sit Down for One Song Award

Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels

June 26, 2013 • Fool's Gold

Oh man, how could it have taken me so long to get on this album? After El-P and Killer Mike each dropped stellar albums individually last year (okay, El-P was on both), the only thing better would be a collaboration—and damn does it work.

If you've been keeping up with El-P's production history as of late, Run the Jewels' sound isn't going to be too unfamiliar. The beats are heavy and as spastic as ever, if maybe a little more coherent and less seizure-inducing than on Cancer 4 Cure. There is a good amount of dynamics too; in addition to some really nasty, heavy bangers, there are a few "softer" tracks in the middle of the album to mix things up (e.g. "DDFH" and "Job Well Done"). As before, Killer Mike's hardcore rapping blends with the production perfectly. I like him as a rapper much better than El-P, but they both do a fine job. The guest spots are all inconsequential—I don't really feel Big Boi here at all; I was never a huge fan to begin with and he's better with the southern sound anyway, which doesn't exist here, and Prince Paul is just terrible.

In fact that's more or less the only misstep on the album; they did just about everything right. Even the length (which can be one of my biggest annoyances on some hip hop albums) is perfect at just over half an hour—I'll definitely take just thirty minutes of fantastic tracks over an hour of half good, half bad.

That's what I find interesting about this album: it's not really that new or groundbreaking, it's just two guys who are on top of their game making the best tracks they can, and they do an amazing job. I hope the keep up the momentum.

7

Download it here or just stream it:

Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music

May 15, 2012 • Williams Street Records

Yeah, I know I'm super-late on the ball for this one, but better late than never, right? I wasn't even really interested in this until I discovered it was an El-P production—really? I thought, El-P doing a southern hip hop album? Surprisingly (to me), it turned out pretty darn good—just another piece of evidence that maybe the south is where all the good hip hop is at nowadays.

It doesn't sound much like an El-P production at first—the beats are definitely southern-sounding, with some more melodic hook sections, trap influence, and, well, soul. Bits of his more typical style leak through after a while, though, with some more atmospheric and complex beats. The beats are definitely less crazy and more "normal" than those on Cancer 4 Cure (by the way, how impressive is it that he put both these albums out at the same time?), but it's still solid all the way across the board.

This is my first time hearing Killer Mike, and I don't have a lot to say about him. He has a relatively typical southern hip hop style that has a bit of a hardcore edge. It's effective, but it's nothing truly amazing (though when he gets intense like on "Big Beast", it's pretty awesome). And he fits perfectly with El-P's beats, even better than El-P's own rapping, though there are a few moments that are a bit hokey and seem out-of-place (see "Ghetto Gospel"'s amateur-sounding chorus). I can't say much for the lyrics; as usual, I don't pay much attention to them—it's all about the flow and rhymes, and there's plenty of each that's great—and I'm a bit tired of the cliché political and gangsta themes.

One of the album's biggest strengths, in my opinion, is that it doesn't get too full of itself. It's relatively short, and the average track length being under four minutes means that it breezes right by, demanding repeat listens. That's always a satisfying thing for me; I hate having to dig through filler in hip hop but it seems like the trend lately is making that less and less of a problem.

Granted, not every track on R.A.P. Music is great, but it's mostly solid throughout, and the highs make up for the lows. This album might not have a lot of long-term staying power (that's the feeling I get, anyway), but when you get into the moment with it, it's a really nice listen.

7

Death Grips – The Money Store

April 24, 2012 • Epic Records

Hopping on the hype train once again, it's time for Death Grips' The Money Store, this month's indie hip hop critic darling. As it turns out, there's good reason for that. I'm only marginally familiar with their debut Exmilitary, and I liked it; this, though, is one of the most interesting followups I've heard. It's on a major label and offers a more catchy sound, yet somehow at the same time it's still dense and impenetrable. And, yes, it's good.

Happily, Death Grisps seems to be intensely deconstructing their hardcore freak-out style and seeing what new things they can do with it. The Money Store's beats have become a bit softer, catchier, and more "west-coast-sounding", but the result is just as good as their debut. The songs can be a bit hit-or-miss (there are a couple lame tracks like "Fuck That"), but when they hit they hit hard. "Hustle Bones", for instance, has a huge bassy distorted beat that is still somehow nicely danceable; "Hacker" has a fantastic and infections house beat and a great hook; there are too many examples to list them all. Many of the new sounds heard draw from various electronic genres (there's lots of indie electronic, IDM, bastardized downtempo, house, and of course the surprisingly-awesome poppy style of "I've Seen Footage"), which is wildly successful. And some tracks still have that nice dissonant creepy sound I liked on Exmilitary, like "Lost Boys" and the crazy bass wobble on "System Blower", so there's quite a mix of styles here. On the whole the production isn't as thick as before, but it's more nuanced and rewarding.

The rapping leaves a bit to be desired, though; MC Ride's vocals here are more "normal", unlike Exmilitary, with very little of the intense yelling that made that album memorable. It's one of the elements that made Exmilitary as compelling as it was, and to hear it so downplayed here makes me feel like there was some wasted potential. However, here it does fit the beats' softer and more melodic style really well, so I'm not going to complain too much. And there is still harsher rapping to be found here and there.

On the whole The Money Store is definitely a strong album, among some of the most interesting hip hop I've heard to come out in the last couple years (though admittedly I don't keep up as much as I probably should). It's not perfect, and there are a few filler tracks here and there (as much as the album tries to make you forget about them), but I would say it does live up to most of its hype and has its share of really good tracks.

7

Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf – Big Shots

November 18, 2003 • Stones Throw Records

For some bizarre reason, Big Shots has seem to flown over the heads of a lot of casual hip hop fans, and it baffles me as to why. After just one listen, I knew this album would become one of my all-time favorites, and I was right (it's in my top 5 hip hop albums for sure). It just does everything right on every level, and is a party to listen to every time.

It's easy to point out what makes this album so goddamn good—everything about the album is made perfectly and combined just right. Peanut Butter Wolf's beats are fantastic; despite sounding like standard early '90s west coast stuff at first, they're really upbeat and contain some great samples (including a lot of now-classic hip hop artists, which are fun to pick up on) and scratching (I love some good scratching; most albums I've heard so far have little if none). Sometimes they're a bit jazzy, Tribe-style, which is nice too (Tribe is an obvious overall influence, which I'm not going to complain about). The drums are sometimes excruciatingly heavy but the samples and melodies that go along with them create a really nice aloof atmosphere out of nowhere. It doesn't make sense how it works, but it clicks perfectly, especially when listening in the car. I don't think any album has made me want to dance as much as this one, the grooves are so good.

Charizma is a great MC, too; it's a fitting moniker as he clearly has a lot of it. His delivery is completely confident and on-point. Unlike all the typical hardcore rappers of the time, he doesn't need to say he's the best MC around; he shows it in his style instead. Sometimes it seems like he's channeling Big L (he sounds a bit like him, too), but in a more mature way. I'm not sure what all the lyrics are about (from what I can tell, mostly girls and apple juice), but they sound more intelligent and clever than the average west coast swag, which is always a plus.

In short, there isn't a single filler track on here; it's just hit after hit that shows an incredible amount of talent from both members. Even the lone skit is not only listenable, but decent (I hate skits). They throw in a lot of really cool bits with effects and beat switching to keep it interesting, and there isn't a low point on the album. Required listening for any and all hip hop fans.

9