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“…a shotgun blast to the face.”

Run The Jewels thrives on the spirit of rebellion. The duo, consisting of Atlanta rapper Killer Mike and New York rapper/producer El-P, has grown from indie one-off to one of the most impressive second winds in rap history. Their music finds the middle ground between cartoonish purist rap thrills and anarchic grit. At their very best, Mike and El-P will have you ready to burn everything in sight.

While RTJ’s music has always maintained an anti-establishment bent, the aggression on their 2016 album Run the Jewels 3, in particular, was channeled through the prism of revolt. In the wake of the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and the election of the 45th President of the United States, RTJ’s lawless spirit made them, however unintentionally, uniquely suited to address a world coming apart at the seams.

In the face of Armageddon, RTJ’s message hit differently. Four years later, with another wave of protests taking place in response to Black death looming large over the world, Run the Jewels are offering their fourth album, aptly titled RTJ4. 

The public needs music directly speaking to the times. Mike and El’s timing is perfect; the stakes have never been higher. Let’s see if the Jewel Runners are up to the challenge.

In usual 1-Listen fashion, the rules are the same: no rewinds, pauses, or skips—a straight shot through followed by my gut reactions. Let’s ride.

1. “Yankee & The Brave (ep. 4)”

Killer Mike opening with DaBaby speed. Man, these drums are THUMPING. “I’mma terrorize the actors playing like they want some drama.” No holds barred. Mike and El-P play rap hot potato like no other. El is floating. “I’m ready to mob on all these charlatans.” The beat sounds like a John Carpenter score stripped for parts and hooked to some boomers. “I can’t let the pig take me, I got too much pride / I meant it when I said it, never take me alive.” This exact energy is what I was hoping for. Revolt music right off rip. No brakes, all nitrous. “Yankee & The Brave” is how you open an album.

2. “Ooh LA LA” feat. Greg Nice & DJ Premier

Did El-P source his drums from fucking mortars? These boys are monstrous. El’s beats are big enough to walk through. I don’t like this hook. Greg Nice’s voice is grating. “When we usher in chaos, remember we did it smiling.” They may be smiling, but Mike and El sound pissed. “Ooh LA LA” isn’t playful music; it’s angry. This song doesn’t leave me shaking the way “Yankee & The Brave” did, but it’s still a nice jolt of catharsis. Premier scratches are always a plus. I’m glad he’s still so revered by rappers across generations.

3. “Out of Sight” feat. 2 Chainz

El-P made a beat out of jumping vocal cuts that would sound at home on a post-apocalyptic workout tape. He never fails to impress. I love hearing references to Public Enemy’s “My Uzi Weighs A Ton.” Mike and El are trading off lines. “I’m only doing what I want by hocking loogies at the swine.” I see why they wanted to push this project up two days. Forget “F*ck The Police,” this is FUCK THE FUCKING COPS. Mike caught a CRAZY flow and held onto it forever. The energy is stabbing me in the chest. If you’ve ever downed a bag of Pop Rocks with nails inside, then, and only then, will you understand the power of “Out Of Sight.” Here comes 2 Chainz. One mention of growing up in poverty, but the rest of his verse is just soulless flexing. It’s not 2 Chainz’ fault, but I’m not tryna hear his verse right now.

4. “Holy Calamafuck”

A reggae sample to start things off. And everything just devolved into a 404 error. The beat is actively falling apart. A line about jacking Supreme jackets and calling out hypebeasts. Are those record scratches or Windows 95 program glitches? I can’t keep my head straight. A line about drones and time elves. “Every other goddamn year I’m brand new / It’s been 20-plus years, you think that’s a clue?” TALK YOUR SHIT, EL. Since the Def Jux days. Mike and El stood the test of time, gotta respect it. These two were born to rap together. “PTSD, streets did the damage.” Mike is pouring his heart out. If the streets run red with blood, “Holy Calamafuck” will be the soundtrack.

5. “Goonies vs. E.T.”

These drums and synths were sourced from space. Mike and El are rapping for their lives. “Goonies vs. E.T.” is pure fucking chaos. How did they keep their heads together recording over this beat? E.T.’s healing touch couldn’t help them. The hook’s not doing much for me—it feels like dead space—but the beat is breathing. Man, this shit is manic. I’m on a sugar high. “The revolution is televised and digitized.” All facts. Mike has one of the most potent rap voices. I can’t see his face, but I know there’s fire in his eyes. “This is people with an attitude in Beverly Hills.” Making people uncomfortable is progress.

6. “Walking In The Snow”

A nice crunchy guitar riff to incite more chaos. The beat just cracked open, and now it sounds like a fucking Tesla coil. I feel more compelled to type the word “fuck” than I ever have during a review. “All oppression’s borne of lies.” El has been talking that talk all across this shit. El sounds like a preacher. “Just got done walking in the snow / Goddamn that muhfucka cold.” Who’s rapping on the hook? OH SHIT, IT’S GANGSTA BOO. Nice surprise. OG needs more love. “Every day on the evening news, they feed you fear for free.” Mike is laying everything out. “I can’t breathe.” That line really hurt. “The most you get is a Twitter rant and called a tragedy.” He’s just talking at this point. Brutal. I know he was fighting back the tears rapping this one. The beat is mutating like crazy. I can’t keep up—breathless rap music at its finest. I love love LOVE this song, holy shit.

7. “Ju$t” feat. Zach De La Rocha & Pharrell Williams

It’s the famous four-count! Pharrell must’ve had a hand in production along with El-P. Pharrell’s voice doesn’t fit into the cracks of this hook; it’s distracting. “Look at all these slave masters posing on your dollar.” Mike is doing call-and-response with himself. He’s talking about corporations co-opting marijuana and pedophiles in high places. “Confuscious say you’d better thug out.” That got me. El has a thing for turning voices into drum patterns. These beats are fun but they will also turn around and rip your throat out if you try them. Here comes Mr. Rage himself, Zach De La Rocha. His voice cuts through everything. I love how analog his voice sounds. He sounds fired up. I’ll take another Rage Against the Machine album, please. Without Pharrell, “Ju$t” would be close to perfect.

8. “Never Look Back”

A little techno bounce to start “Never Look Back.” All I can see in my head is Tron light cycles burning digitized vapors. Was that a Pop Smoke bar? His death still hurts. Mike and El managing to rap about current events and not sound lame is amazing. No other rapper their age could pull off a TikTok bar. Mike is rapping about his mother. Did she pass? Man, that’s heavy. So that’s why it’s called “Never Look Back.” “All that matter is gratitude. Gratitude is everything.” Who’s speaking right now? Can’t make it out. El is talking about how he never saw class or race as a child. Mike follows with, “Never look back, you’ll only be bitter / If you get bitter, you’ll never get better.” They’re confronting demons. RTJ4 feels as immediate and punchy as Mike and El’s respective solo work. Ending with a ticking timer, always coming through with the relief.

9. “The Ground Below”

Is this nu-metal I’m hearing? These guitars and smashing drums are super silly, even by RTJ standards. They rapping, though. “Screaming fuck the world and you can drink what’s coming from my urethra.” El always knows how to rap familiar shit differently. “Not saying it’s a conspiracy but you’re all against me.” Funny. A weird melange of sounds and images, and I’m not sure what to make of it. The raps are crazy, and the beat is kinda growing on me. Easy to believe them saying, “The money never meant much” when they’ve been giving out their albums for free since 2013.

10. “Pulling The Pin” feat. Josh Homme & Mavis Staples

Okay, last two tracks. If you’re gonna name a track “Pulling The Pin,” there’d better be an explosion. Ominous marching and some warbled vocals. “These old foxes got a lot of plots to outfox us.” El hit that Aesop Rock flow real quick. Those chorus vocals are ghostly. Josh Homme is a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Shout out Queens of The Stone Age. “Every cage built needs an occupant.” Is that Mavis Staples? It is! Her vocals are so rich. Staples finding space in this interstellar mayhem is wild. Mavis is my favorite feature so far. There’s much less frivolous shit-talking this time, especially from Mike. “Kicking and screaming while watching the demons collecting the gold and the diamond residuals.” Career-best rapping from Mike. More Mavis, thank God. “There’s a grenade in my heart.”

11. “A Few Words for The Firing Squad (Radiation)”

RTJ4 has been a ride. Ending with the firing squad can’t be a good sign. El starts with a short tribute to his wife. Touching. Mike back to rapping about asking his mom to cling to life. His kids, his wife, and his craft have made him a better man. These are death-bed confessions set to music. Mike and El must be rapping blindfolded, standing in front of the wall and the firing squad. Heartbreaking. “Last word to the firing squad was ‘Fuck you, too.’” Kicking and screaming. It sounds like we’re going out with a big instrumental explosion—saxophone, brass, and reverbed synths and choirs. This is BIG.

Where do Mike and El find the energy to keep expanding their sound like this?

Oh, we’re not done yet.

A narrator is laying down the story of two rebels forced together by the odds. They’re still running with this Yankee & The Brave angle. It’s playing like an end credits song. So… The whole thing’s been a TV show? I’ll admit, this takes away some from the immediacy of Mike and El’s message.

Final (First Listen) Thoughts On Run the Jewels’ RTJ4:

Run the Jewels dropping their fourth album in the middle of a global pandemic and a nationwide uprising is perfect.

The duo crafted a potent mix of braggadocio and political and personal reflection set to beats made for video game boss battles. Both Mike and El deliver career-best work behind the mic, and El-P’s production has only grown more expansive.

Golden-era boom-bap (“Out of Sight,” “Holy Calamafuck”), and murky synth-scapes (“Never Look Back”) are flayed and split open to create digitized warzones. They’re as frantic and restless as the rappers pushing them to their limits.

From beginning to end, RTJ4 is a shotgun blast to the face; an album to turn up to 11 while the precincts burn. Pent-up emotions shoot through every bar, every beat, and every second of breathing room. The anti-police sentiment couldn’t be more timely.

The only time the momentum drags on RTJ4 is when other voices cram into the frame. Several features are either inappropriate (2 Chainz on “Out of Sight”) or distracting (Pharrell on “Ju$t”).

Unintentionally, the running motif of the Yankee & The Brave TV show stifles some of the immediacy from Mike and El’s best verses to date. Maybe the TV show angle will age better in a world where the president didn’t just declare war on his fellow citizens.

Minor missteps aside, Mike and EL understand the stakes at hand. RTJ4 mixes the punchy and the profoundly personal with cartoonish zeal, EPMD by way of Adult Swim’s Superjail! 

Politically and musically, Run the Jewels are done asking for favors. RTJ4 is five-finger discount rap at its finest.

“…brass knuckle lyricism.”

Freddie Gibbs could teach a masterclass on consistency in hip-hop. After spending the better part of the last decade dominating all kinds of production, from chipmunk soul to aggressive trap, the 37-year-old turned into one of the best technical rappers in the business. 

Freddie’s newly released album, Alfredo, is produced entirely by The Alchemist, who also produced Fetti, his 2018 collaborative album with Curren$y. With features from Rick Ross, Benny The Butcher, Conway the Machine, and Tyler, The Creator, Alfredo is a welcome surprise.

If Freddie Gibbs continues his streak as one of hip-hop’s most consistent lyricists, Alfredo could be one of the most-talked-about albums of 2020. 

In usual 1-Listen album review fashion, the rules are the same: no skipping, no fast-forwarding, no rewinding, and no stopping. Each song will receive my gut reaction from start to finish.

1. “1985”

Bernie Mac! It’s a good day to rewatch The Original Kings of Comedy. The production is majestic. These guitar riffs are dripping in gold. Here’s Gibbs. He is rapping with gusto. “I can smell the cane burning.” Does JAY-Z listen to Freddie Gibbs? I imagine he has a playlist with only songs from Freddie Gibbs and Clipse. “All my raps in the crack files.” Big drug dealer talk. Great intro. 

2. “God Is Perfect”

Alchemist beats are patient. I love Gibbs’ cadence and delivery. His flow is so sharp. He jumps on beats and always finds a way to stomp on the pocket. The second verse is vicious. Such vivid lyricism. Does he write down his raps? He has a fluid style; it never sounds like he’s overthinking. His rapping sounds instinctive, but it’s also so detailed. “God Is Perfect” is a keeper. A last-second beat switch. No rapping, but a smooth close with another movie clip. 

3. “Scottie Beam” feat. Rick Ross

Alchemist made a beat that sounds like a rainy day inside of a jazz bar. It’s so elegant. Freddie came to rap. More vivid lyricism. Clear illustration. I saw the line from Queen & Slim coming, but he still landed the dismount. “The revolution is the genocide, my execution might be televised.” He’s on fire. Using Judas/Jesus as an example of betrayal never gets old. “I really want me a Scottie Beam.” Rick Ross sounds like he just walked in the booth in a Versace robe with matching Versace slippers and du-rag. Ross is rapping. He’s back in that Rather You Than Me bag. My favorite kind of Ross. Luxury raps. Someone tell Alchemist to send Ross the pack. Need that. Keeper. 

4. “Look At Me”

Alfredo has good pacing. Every song has moved seamlessly into the next. No skips. Each beat and every rap has been up to par. “Look At Me” has a rather slow build-up. I like it, though. Gibbs with the Wu-Tang nod. This record is good. It’s way looser than the previous records. The lucidness isn’t bad. Not my favorite, but a keeper. 

5. “Frank Lucas” feat. Benny The Butcher

This one is dirty. You can hear the roaches scurrying. “Frank Lucas” sounds like super-villainy. Gibbs is rapping rapping. The George Jetson line took me out. He’s knocking this one out. “My name Cocaine, they not putting me on the nominees.” This record is big, big rap talk. Benny The Butcher. He raps like a man living up to his name. “It was either law school or dog food.” This verse is murder. The Butcher did what he needed to do. He’s still going. Keeper. Currently, the bar for the best. 

6. “Something to Rap About” feat. Tyler, The Creator

I love these keys. “God made me sell crack, so I’d have something to rap about.” “Something to Rap About” is whimsical. Gibbs doesn’t take himself too seriously, but he won’t let you take him lightly. That sense of self makes him powerful. Every line is vivid. He would be great at writing screenplays. The Creator has arrived. He said this beat sounds like the boat he hasn’t bought yet. Tyler is spitting. These songs just keep getting better. “I used to be a Goblin under those bridges.” He’s on a rant. He held the flow, though. He’s getting it off his chest. “I’m grounded like the pavement, we ain’t linking like the bracelet.” One take. Tyler danced. That kid is a killer. Keeper.

7. “Baby $hit”

Second best song title on the album. A nice tempo. “Baby $hit” has some bounce. Rapid-fire Gibbs. “Got a pocket full of dead slave masters.” He’s on fire. A strong, strong verse. Man, Gibbs’ delivery is so pointed. Keeper. Another movie clip. I wonder if they had to clear all of these. [Editor’s Note: Movie clips must be cleared for commercial use.] Each clip makes the album feel even more cinematic. A moving picture.

8. “Babies & Fools” feat. Conway The Machine 

Smooth! The sample escapes me, but this is a classic. Yep! He’s going for the trophies. Alchemist gave Gibbs the perfect pack. I wonder how many beats they went through. No skips yet. As far as albums go, Alfredo sounds like a complete body of work. They avoided all the superfluous touches that weigh albums down. Conway! He came to represent. “Call it crazy, but I always knew I would bounce back this hard.” Quotables all across this album. Every featured guest is rapping like it’s their song. “I rep my niggas every verse that I rap.” Keeper. Alchemist doesn’t miss. 

9. “Skinny Suge”

Best song title on the album. Slow build-up. “Skinny Suge” is heavy. Gibbs sounds like the evolved form of Tupac. Hear me out. All I’m saying is his cadence and passion remind me of Pac. From my perspective, if Pac would’ve lived, his style would be similar to how Gibbs raps. “A skinny black nigga, rich off rap.” See. Pac would have said that, lol. Anyway, another keeper. Love the little touches at the end of every song. Alchemist gave us a soundscape. 

10. “All Glass” 

Last song. Can Gibbs go 10 for 10? Sounding like it. “All Glass” isn’t my favorite beat on Alfredo, but he’s rapping. Whew. Bar after bar. This record is a church. “Yeezy’s on, but I ain’t never seen a Sunday service.” The André 3000/Caroline line got me. He’s going for gold. That’s how you close it out. Ten keepers. 

Final (First Listen) Thoughts on Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist’s Alfredo

Freddie Gibbs is brass knuckle lyricism. He strikes with a boxer’s tenacity without ever burning out—spitting line after line like a heavyweight who throws haymaker after haymaker as if they were jabs. But there’s also a storytelling bent to Freddie Gibbs, one that shapes his punchy songs into short cinema. 

On Alfredo, Gibbs performs as a rap Olympian. From a writing perspective, the 10 songs all paint him as a top tier wordsmith. It’s a testament to his craft, but also to The Alchemist, who delivered the perfect set of beats, inspiring high-level rapping. Every rapper who appears on Alfredo does not slack. There isn’t a single moment dulling the ears. 

Alfredo is well-rounded and sharp; an album with no skips served up by a rapper and producer who understand what it means to deliver a quality product. 

Alfredo is quality rap at its finest.

Young M.A’s ‘Red Flu’ is an ideal offering from the Brooklyn rap star.

Brooklyn rapper Young M.A gained breakout success with her four-times Platinum single, “OOOUUU,” granting the 28-year-old lyricist fame and celebrity throughout the music industry for rhyming with captivating wit and heart-melting charm.

Since “OOOUUU,” Young M.A, born Katorah Marrero, has been selective with the music she outputs. The release of her 2019 debut album, Herstory in the Making, came several years later than expected. It’s a well-rounded project that peaked No. 16 on US Billboard Hot 200. Now, eight months later, Young M.A returns with Red Flu, a seven-track EP with no features, produced by Mike Zombie (five songs), Benjamin Lasnier (one song), and NY Bangers (one song).

Once a rapper catches a hit, the looming question around their name will always be: Where’s the next one? Young M.A is back; will she take over the world again? With everyone at home, this is the perfect time for an unexpected comeback.

In usual 1-Listen album review fashion, the rules are the same: no skipping, no fast-forwarding, no rewinding, and no stopping. Each song will receive my gut reaction from start to finish. 

1. “Dripset”

Zombie on the Track but without the typical trap sound. I like how full this feels. Young M.A is here, and she’s sliding. The amount of confidence she rhymes with should be packaged and sold like Gatorade. One of the most unbothered flows in all of rap. Boss talk. Young M.A does not have time for your feelings. I love the Dipset/Juelz Santana nod. Santana was one of my favorite rappers from 2005 to 2009. I like how free-flowing “Dripset” is. “Drinking Henny just to numb the pain.” I can see this playing in the background of so many IG and Snapchat stories. “15 niggas deep,” sheesh. I wouldn’t go anywhere with 15 people right now. Good intro. Good beat. Strong writing. I’d run it back.

2. “Quarantine Party”

The build-up sounds like a beat made on a toy xylophone. I like this. Zombie and M.A are an interesting duo. He gave her all the beats that Drake didn’t get after “Started From The Bottom.” M.A is lively, rapping with a lot of charisma. It’s so free-flowing. She’s a natural rhymer. “Quarantine Party” lives up to the title. This is a fun record, but how fun can a quarantine party be? One cough and the whole thing is done. A little Bad Boy homage to close us out. Another good one.

3. “Trap Or Cap”

Subtle keys. All of Zombie’s beats build up nicely. I like M.A’s lax nature. She’s in no rush to start rapping. Oh, this has bite; this is a rap rant. “Chasing cheese, I’m out here chasing green, you either trap or die.” She’s talking that talk. Young M.A said you either trapping or capping, one or the other. I like how every word is precise; she came to preach. Someone get Rick Ross and Jeezy on “Trap Or Cap” for a remix. Also, tell Jeezy we need BMF raps only. Keeper.

4. “Angel vs Demons”

So far, so good. All the songs have been strong. “I’m back to my habits, back to my ways.” “Angel vs Demons” sounds like an AM/PM freestyle. This is good. Not in love with the singing, but the lyricism is self-reflective and has a lot of heart. “Call me a bitch all you want, just know that bitch in charge.” Big rapper talk! It’s nice to hear her so sure of herself. Maintaining confidence will make or break a rapper. You can always hear the sound of shattered confidence. Young M.A doesn’t have a scratch on her armor.

5. “Savage Mode”

“Savage Mode” is bursting with energy. More stream-of-consciousness rap. Whoever mixed this EP did a good job, it’s a cleaner mix than her debut. There’s a clarity to her lyricism that I appreciate. With so many squeaky voices in rap, it’s easy to forget the importance of enunciation. “Credit is fixed now, money we flip now.” Young M.A said she ain’t going back to broke, and she sounds like it. Keeper.

6. “Bad Bitch Anthem”

The hit has arrived. Zombie’s price just went up. It’s a wrap. “Bad Bitch Anthem” is formulated to be everywhere. TikTok, IG, Twitter, wherever. If she put Megan Thee Stallion on the remix, she’ll have them twerking on Mars. It’s been a solid year for women anthems. Make sure Lana Del Rey doesn’t find out about this one.

7. “2020 Vision”

“The plan is to triple my cash and shit on my past.” That is the new American Dream. The rapping here is sharp. She is a giant. Young M.A raps like she steps on people for fun. Her and Rico Nasty would make a dangerous duo. “2020 Vision” is a good song. Strong from start to finish.

Final (First Listen) Thoughts on Young M.A’s Red Flu 

Young M.A’s Red Flu is an ideal offering from the Brooklyn rap star. She keeps the songs short, but attention-grabbing. Lyrically, she’s still witty and charming, but there’s a maturity to M.A now. She lives like a boss and raps like a boss, too. Every line is either reflecting on how her life changed, what she doesn’t have time for, or what she’s working toward. 

The Young M.A who appears on Red Flu reminds me of Rick Ross and how he was able to mold his confidence and charisma into a Teflon persona. After the release of his second album, Rick Ross made you feel like no one could stop him, and that’s what Red Flu represents for Young M.A. 

Red Flu is about the feeling of being unstoppable. Pandemic or not, Young M.A is on top.