American hip-hop supergroup Run the Jewels are on course for ultimate global supremacy; beneath the cartoonish comedy aesthetic and the dick jokes, lie one of the East Coast’s greatest producers and – let’s get controversial – Atlanta’s most talented wordsmith. El-P’s hammer-blow production, voodoo-futurist groove and typically filthy mouth on last year’s ‘RTJ3’ was only heightened by Killer Mike’s increasingly caustic and political bars. It’s rare to find a duo that complement and refine each other so well; rarer still for that to happen in their mid-forties, supposedly past their peak in what’s often touted as a young man’s game. Where other ‘greats’ rest on their laurels and crap out late-career misfires (not naming names here) Run the Jewels have only tightened their formula year-on-year: a fiercely efficient, bass-heavy trap sound, an inclusive spirit and an incendiary attitude at every one of their live shows. In other words, grab yourself a ticket to see these modern-day treasures before they sell out. Support from razor-sharp Detroit motormouth Danny Brown.
Tue 14 Nov 7pm at O2 Academy, 16-18 Horse Fair, Birmingham B1 1DB £32.50
seetickets.com
Words: Chris Donald - Gigs Editor
Published on: Tue 10 Oct 2017