Run the Jewels is the sound of two men who refuse to let a joke become a comfort. El-P and Killer Mike built this album around anger, wit and the conviction that a song can be both political and funny at once. It is a record about power — police power, corporate power, cultural power — and it treats those subjects with a fury that never softens into preaching.
The album runs 20 tracks and 66 minutes, and it opens with its title track, a dense, layered statement of intent. From there, it moves through a mix of originals and instrumentals that run together, with the two versions of each track appearing back to back across the full sequence. The structure is deliberate: it forces the listener to hear each song twice, once with lyrics and once without, and the instrumental versions often reveal the underlying rhythm more clearly than the vocal takes.
Run the Jewels and the Opening Stretch
“Run the Jewels” sets the tone immediately. It is a track about being noticed, about refusing to be quiet, and the production is thick with percussion and bass that push the beat forward without ever losing control. The song earns its place as the lead single for a reason — it states the mission of the album in its title.
“Banana Clipper” follows with a sharper edge. The track leans into its title’s meaning, using the clipper as a metaphor for cutting down the powerful, and the flow between the two rappers is particularly tight here. It is a shorter, punchier track that does not overstay its welcome.
“36″ Chain” slows things down slightly, with a more mid-tempo groove that lets the verses breathe. It is a solid track, though it does not quite reach the heights of the songs around it.
“DDFH” picks the pace back up. The track is built around a sample-driven hook that El-P handles with his usual precision, and the verse delivery is strong throughout. It is a confident, controlled performance that shows why this duo remains one of the most formidable live acts working today.
“Sea Legs” is the longest track on the front half of the album at 3:40, and it uses that space to build a slow, atmospheric tension before the chorus arrives. The production shifts from sparse to full, and the track rewards patience — it does not pay off quickly, but the payoff is earned.
“Job Well Done” closes the first stretch of the record with a blunt assessment of workplace culture. It is a track about labor, authority and the way people are told to accept bad treatment as normal. The delivery is sharp, and the message lands without needing to be spelled out.
No Come Down Through Twin Hype Back
“No Come Down” is one of the record’s most immediate hooks. The track is built around a simple, insistent riff that repeats throughout, and the verses land with real force. It is a song about staying high even when the world tries to bring you down, and it works because the energy never drops.
“Get It” is a more playful track, with a lighter feel than the songs around it. It is not the deepest song here, but it is one of the most enjoyable — the bounce in the rhythm carries the whole track.
“Twin Hype Back” is the shortest original on the album at 3:12, and it uses that brevity to make a point quickly. It is a track about reputation, about being known for something, and it gets in, makes its case, and gets out without wasting a second.
The Instrumentals
The second half of the album is where the record’s ambition becomes clearest. Each original track is followed by its instrumental version, and the sequence runs through all 10 songs in the same order. This is not a filler move — it is a structural decision that asks the listener to consider the separation between rhythm and word.
The instrumentals strip away the vocal layer, leaving the drums, bass and samples exposed. What remains is a clearer picture of the production work that holds the album together. The tracks hold up on their own, which is the real test of whether the instrumentals are a gimmick or a genuine addition.
A Christmas Fucking Miracle
“A Christmas Fucking Miracle” closes the album with a title that tells you exactly what to expect. It is a track about absurdity, about the ridiculousness of celebrating while the world burns, and it delivers on that promise. The track is a standout, a moment where the album’s sense of humor breaks through the anger.
The final instrumental version of the title track brings the record full circle. It ends where it began, which is a fitting choice for an album that wants to be heard as a continuous statement rather than a collection of singles.
What Stands Out
The strongest tracks on Run the Jewels are the ones that balance the duo’s political instincts with their comedic timing. The record’s best moments come when El-P and Killer Mike stop taking themselves seriously and start taking their targets seriously instead.
- “No Come Down” — the track that gets the album’s pulse right from the start
- “A Christmas Fucking Miracle” — the closing statement that turns the title’s absurdity into a point
- “Run the Jewels” — the opening track that sets the tone for everything that follows
- “Twin Hype Back” — the shortest original, and one of the most direct
- “Get It” — the lightest track, and one of the most fun to listen to
The lesser tracks are not failures — they simply do not reach the heights of the songs around them. “36″ Chain” and “Sea Legs” are solid, professional pieces of work, but they do not demand repeated listens the way the stronger tracks do.
The Verdict
Run the Jewels is a confident, focused record from a duo that knows exactly what it is doing. It is not a perfect album — some tracks drift and a few instrumentals feel like they could be trimmed — but the best songs here are among the sharpest in the duo’s catalog. The record succeeds because it refuses to compromise between its anger and its humor, and it refuses to let either of them soften into comfort.
The album is available now, and it stands as one of the most consistent releases of the year. It is a record that rewards attention, and it rewards repeated listens — the instrumental versions offer a fresh angle on songs you already know.
Key facts
– Artist: Run the Jewels (El-P and Killer Mike)
– Album: Run the Jewels (2013)
– Tracks: 20 (10 originals, 10 instrumentals)
– Total running time: 66 minutes
The score is 8 of 10.
- Run the Jewels3:31
- Banana Clipper2:51
- 36″ Chain2:52
- DDFH3:05
- Sea Legs3:40
- Job Well Done3:00
- No Come Down3:28
- Get It3:00
- Twin Hype Back3:12
- A Christmas Fucking Miracle4:21
- Run the Jewels (inst.)3:31
- Banana Clipper (inst.)2:51
- 36" Chain (inst.)2:52
- DDFH (inst.)3:05
- Sea Legs (inst.)3:40
- Job Well Done (inst.)3:00
- No Come Down (inst.)3:28
- Get It (inst.)3:00
- Twin Hype Back (inst.)3:12
- A Christmas Fucking Miracle (inst.)4:21
