Run the Jewels 2

Run the Jewels 2
Studio album by Run the Jewels
Released October 24, 2014 (2014-10-24)
Recorded 2013–14
Genre Hip hop
Length 38:56
Label
Producer
Run the Jewels chronology
Run the Jewels
(2013)		 Run the Jewels 2
(2014)		 Meow the Jewels
(2015)
Singles from Run the Jewels 2
  1. "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1"
    Released: September 2, 2014
  2. "Oh My Darling Don't Cry"
    Released: September 30, 2014
  3. "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)"
    Released: October 13, 2014

Run the Jewels 2 is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels, which consists of Killer Mike and El-P. The album was released early for free on October 24, 2014[1] and the following day on iTunes. It was made available on CD and LP through Mass Appeal Records on October 28, 2014.[2]

Upon its release, Run the Jewels 2 received widespread acclaim from critics for its darker and more layered production, Killer Mike and El-P's lyricism and chemistry and its guest contributions. Several publications also ranked it as the best album of 2014, including Pitchfork Media, Complex and Stereogum.[3][4][5] The album debuted at number 50 on the US Billboard 200, selling 12,000 copies in the first week.

A parody remix album, Meow the Jewels, was released for free featuring beats created entirely from cat sounds. In addition to Meow the Jewels, a standard remix album was scheduled to be released through Fool's Gold in 2015 as well.[6]

Singles

On September 2, 2014, Run the Jewels released a song titled "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1", as the album's first single.[7] On September 15, 2014, Run the Jewels released "Oh My Darling Don't Cry", the second offering from the album.[8] "Oh My Darling Don't Cry", was later released on September 30, 2014, via digital distribution, as the album's second single.[9]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic89/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The A.V. ClubA–[12]
Consequence of SoundA–[13]
The Guardian[14]
HipHopDX[15]
Los Angeles Times[16]
NME9/10[17]
Pitchfork Media9.0/10[18]
Rolling Stone[19]
Slant Magazine[20]

Upon its release, Run the Jewels 2 received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 89, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 35 reviews.[10] David Jeffries of AllMusic stated, "If the first album was the supernova, RTJ2 is the RTJ universe forming, proving that Mike and El-P's one-off can be a going, and ever growing, concern."[11] Brian Josephs of The A.V. Club stated, "The sequel takes the simplistic thrills of the debut and expands the duo's natural chemistry. With Killer Mike grounded at the album's emotional core, El-P is free to indulge in his intrepid production tendencies."[12] Pat Levy of Consequence of Sound said, "An album like RTJ2 is rare. Decades from now, this album may just be revered as one of the best hip-hop records of our era, the total synchronicity of two talented artists reaching the apex of their prime."[13] Paul Maclnnes of The Guardian stated, "While the duo deliver hard-nosed disses at a rate of knots. Early, meanwhile, matches distorted synth with an old-school storytelling piece about pursuit and arrest by the police. It's an unrelenting style, which may sound like overkill to some, but there's no disputing its power and sophisticated composition."[14] Kellan Miller of HipHopDX stated, "Throughout RTJ2 [El-P] holds his own rhyming alongside a superior wordsmith."[15] James Rainis of Slant Magazine stated, "RTJ2 is the rare sequel that bests the beloved original in almost every facet."[20] Dan Rys of XXL said, "For people looking for soulful, melodic hip-hop, this is not the album to pick up. Neither is it one for the kids who just want to repeat two words over and over again and call it a hook while jumping up and down and punching the air repeatedly. When listening to RTJ2, those feelings are translated into punches aimed at faces instead of spaces, and they always connect. The beats are grimy—typical of an El-P-produced project—and add even more grit to an album that doesn’t ooze confidence so much as shoves you in the chest with it."[21]

Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times stated, "Run the Jewels is the team of two indie titans, El-P and Killer Mike, who have upended convention by remaining idealistically true, artistically adventurous and creatively emboldened well into their second decade as rapper-producers. The pair's second album, released as a free download last week, proves it 11 times over."[16] Al Horner of NME said, "Cranking the urgency and confrontation of last year's self-titled debut to neck-breaking levels of intensity, RTJ2 is an urgent, paranoid album for a violent, panicked time. It's a bleak future Run The Jewels envision for America, but as long as Mike and El-P are collaborating, at least the future of hip-hop is in safe hands."[17] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media stated, "Sounding like nothing else and answering to nobody but its creators, Run the Jewels 2 is in a class by itself."[18] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone stated, "On their second album as Run the Jewels, noise-loving Brooklyn rapper-producer El-P and Atlanta's Killer Mike make the most explosive hip-hop you'll hear all year."[19]

Accolades

Rolling Stone named RTJ2 the "Best Rap Album of 2014", noting that "the appeal is still in their giddy disses, labyrinthine boasts, alliteration, bravado, alpha male antics — basically the stuff that Killer Mike and El-P enjoyed about rap in 1989."[22] Pitchfork Media placed the album at the top of their list of "The 50 Best Albums of 2014", saying that, "occasionally, you receive the anti-heroes you need, and this was the year when we realized how right they’ve always been. No other album distilled such unrestrained fury, nor reminded us how frustratingly little has changed. When this record’s truths become unrecognizable, we’ll know that we’ve finally made progress. We can chart our evolution from here."[3]

Country Publication Accolade Rank
United States The A.V. Club The 20 Best Albums of 2014[23] 2
Billboard Ten Best Rap Albums of 2014[24] 2
Complex 50 Best Albums of 2014[4] 1
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2014[25] 2
Pitchfork Media The Best Albums of 2014 1
Rolling Stone 40 Best Rap Albums of 2014 1
Spin 40 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2014[26] 1
Stereogum 40 Best Rap Albums of 2014[5] 1
Vibe 46 Best Albums of 2014[27] 2

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 12,000 copies in the United States.[28]

Track listing

Run the Jewels 2 — Standard edition
No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Jeopardy"  
 3:21
2. "Oh My Darling Don't Cry"  
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[b]
  • Wilder Zoby[a]
 3:24
3. "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1"  El-P 2:32
4. "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" (featuring Zack de la Rocha)El-P 3:54
5. "All My Life"  
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[b]
 3:07
6. "Lie, Cheat, Steal"  
 3:28
7. "Early" (featuring Boots)
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[a]
 3:44
8. "All Due Respect" (featuring Travis Barker)
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[b]
  • Wilder Zoby[b]
 2:47
9. "Love Again (Akinyele Back)" (featuring Gangsta Boo)El-P 3:45
10. "Crown" (featuring Diane Coffee)
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar
 3:45
11. "Angel Duster"  
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[a]
 5:09
Total length:
 38:56
iTunes bonus track
No. TitleProducer(s) Length
12. "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 2" (featuring Despot and Wiki)El-P 2:39
Total length:
 41:35
Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • Boots - Featured artist, production, additional vocals (track 5)
  • Despot - Featured artist
  • Diane Coffee - Additional piano and vocals (track 10)
  • El-P - Primary artist, producer
  • Gangsta Boo - Featured artist
  • Isaiah "Ikey" Owens - Piano (track 11)
  • James McNew - Additional bass (track 7)
  • Kareem Bunton - Additional vocals (track 11)
  • Kenya Hawkins - Additional vocals (track 11)
  • Killer Mike - Primary artist
  • Little Shalimar - Production
  • Margot - Strings (track 11)
  • Matt Sweeney - Additional guitar (track 5)
  • Michael Winslow - Robot voice (track 2)
  • Shay Bigga - Additional vocals (track 9)
  • Smoota - Additional trombone (track 1)
  • Trackstar the DJ - Scratches (tracks 3 and 4)
  • Travis Barker - Additional drums (track 8)
  • Wiki - Featured artist
  • Wilder Zoby - Production, additional organ (track 1), additional keys (track 11)
  • Zack de la Rocha - Featured artist

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[29] 50
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[30] 9
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[31] 6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[32] 9
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[33] 7

Meow the Jewels

Meow the Jewels
Remix album by Run the Jewels
Released September 25, 2015 (2015-09-25)
Recorded 2013–15
Genre Hip hop
Length 42:01
Label
Producer
Run the Jewels chronology
Run the Jewels 2
(2014)		 Meow the Jewels
(2015)		 Run the Jewels 3
(2016)
Singles from Meow the Jewels
  1. "Meowrly"
    Released: July 18, 2015
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[34]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[35]
Los Angeles Times(Favorable)[36]
PopMatters[37]
Pitchfork Media😻 (Favorable)[38]
RapReviews.com6.5/10[39]

Meow the Jewels is a remix album of Run the Jewels 2 in which all instrumentals are replaced with the sounds of cats.

Run the Jewels as part of the original album release offered a series of absurd "deluxe releases" for large sums of money, parodying indulgent "stretch goals" offered on crowdfunding campaigns on websites like Kickstarter.[40] One of the less expensive of these was the group creating a remix album using cat sounds; a group of fans launched an online campaign to raise the money to pay the group the requested $40,000 to do this.[41][42] The campaign in fact raised over $60,000, which Run the Jewels announced would be donated to charity.[42] A number of other producers announced that they would be contributing remixes.[43] Guest producers included Just Blaze, Prince Paul, The Alchemist, Geoff Barrow, Dan the Automator and Boots.

The album was released for free on September 25, 2015, the pre-order for the limited-edition 2xLP was made available on the same day.[44]

Track listing

Meow the Jewels — Standard edition
No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Meowpurrdy (El-P Remix)" (featuring Snoop Dogg, Lil Bub, Maceo and Delonte)
 3:47
2. "Oh My Darling Don't Meow (Just Blaze Remix)"  
 3:47
3. "Pawfluffer Night (Zola Jesus Remix)"  
 2:43
4. "Close Your Eyes and Meow to Fluff (Geoff Barrow Remix)"  
 3:50
5. "All Meow Life (Nick Hook Remix)"  
  • Nick Hook
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar
 3:08
6. "Lie, Cheat, Meow (Prince Paul Remix)"  
 3:17
7. "Meowrly (Boots Remix)"  
  • Boots
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[a]
 3:35
8. "Paw Due Respect (Blood Diamonds Remix)"  
  • Blood Diamonds
  • El-P
  • Little Shalimar[b]
  • Wilder Zoby[b]
 3:11
9. "Snug Again (Little Shalimar Remix)"  
  • Little Shalimar
  • El-P
 3:57
10. "Creown (The Alchemist Remix)"  
 2:45
11. "Angelsnuggler (Dan the Automator Remix)"  
 3:54
12. "Creown (3D Remix)"  
 4:07
Total length:
 42:01

References

  1. ↑ "Twitter - Oct 2014". Twitter. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Minsker, Evan (2014-09-02). "Killer Mike and El-P Detail Run the Jewels' RTJ2 Album, Announce Tour". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
  3. 1 2 "The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2015-10-04.
  4. 1 2 "Run the Jewels, *Run the Jewels 2* - The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Complex. December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "The 40 Best Rap Albums Of 2014". Stereogum. December 16, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Run the Jewels announces fall tour, details new album, RTJ2". Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1 - Single by Run The Jewels". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Run The Jewels – “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry” - Stereogum". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Oh My Darling Don't Cry - Single by Run The Jewels". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  10. 1 2 "RTJ2 - Run the Jewels". Metacritic. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  11. 1 2 "RTJ2 - Run The Jewels : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  12. 1 2 Josephs, Brian. "Run The Jewels returns with fists balled tighter and trauma that runs deeper". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  13. 1 2 "Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2 - Album Reviews - Consequence of Sound". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  14. 1 2 Paul MacInnes. "Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels 2 review – hard-nosed disses and old-school storytelling". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Run The Jewels - Run the Jewels 2". HipHopDX. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  16. 1 2 "'Run the Jewels 2': Headphone rap that nails it". Los Angeles Times. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  17. 1 2 Al Horner (4 November 2014). "NME Reviews - Run The Jewels - 'Run The Jewels 2' - NME.COM". NME. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  18. 1 2 Cohen, Ian (October 29, 2014). "Run The Jewels: Run The Jewels 2". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  19. 1 2 "Run the Jewels's New Album: Run the Jewels 2". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  20. 1 2 James Rainis (31 October 2014). "Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels 2". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  21. ↑ "Killer Mike And El-P Are Relentless On New Album ‘Run The Jewels 2′". XXL. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  22. ↑ Christopher R. Weingarten (December 23, 2014). "Run the Jewels, 'Run the Jewels 2' - 40 Best Rap Albums of 2014". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  23. ↑ "The 20 best albums of 2014". The A.V. Club. December 8, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  24. ↑ "The 10 Best Rap Albums of 2014". Billboard. December 11, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2014". Consequence of Sound. December 11, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 2 (Mass Appeal / Sony RED)". Spin. December 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The BIG List: 46 Albums From 2014 That Are Actually Worth Your Money". Vibe. December 2, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  28. ↑ Tardio, Andres (2014-11-05). "Hip Hop Album Sales: T.I., Chris Webby, Logic". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  29. ↑ Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=305 "Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=326 Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=335 Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard Top Rap Albums for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=333 Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Illegal name entered Run the Jewels/Run+the+Jewels/chart?f=407 Run the Jewels – Chart history" Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for Run the Jewels. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Reviews for Meow the Jewels by Run the Jewels - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Meow the Jewels - Run the Jewels". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  36. ↑ "'Meow the Jewels': A landmark achievement in feline-based music - LA Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Run the Jewels: Meow the Jewels". PopMatters. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Run the Jewels: Meow The Jewels". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Run the Jewels :: Meow the Jewels :: Mass Appeal/RED Distribution". RapReviews.com. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  40. ↑ Breihan, Tom. "Check Out The Ridiculous Run The Jewels 2 Deluxe Packages". Stereogum. Retrieved 27 April 2016. $75,000 gets you the "I’m On The List, Asshole" package, which gets you and a friend guest list privileges and backstage access for up to 10 Run The Jewels shows: “We will pretend to like you and will introduce you to our friends as our 'friend'. Run The Jewels requires a half an hour before stage time to not have to deal with you and your fucking yammering in order to do our pre show stretches, vocal warm ups and crying." Other, more expensive packages include the offer to fly to your city and show up at your kid’s show-and-tell during school, the offer to housesit for you, the offer to re-record the entire album using nothing but cat noises, and the offer to start a private detective agency. It runs all the way up to a $10,000,000 package, for which Run The Jewels offer to "retire from music, making only one song a year for you personally."
  41. ↑ Breihan, Tom. "Run The Jewels Might Make A Version Of Their Album With Nothing But Cat Noises". Stereogum. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  42. 1 2 "Meow the Jewels". Kickstarter. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  43. ↑ Breihan, Tom. "Meow The Jewels Is Happening". Stereogum. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  44. ↑ "Run the Jewels Drop Meow the Jewels". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.