Contrary to popular belief, he did not found nor even co-found Gang Starr.
He was introduced to DJing while attending school at Prairie View A&M in Houston, Texas. DJ Premier's original stage name was Waxmaster C, the "C" taken from his first name, Chris, although he had already changed it to DJ Premier at the time he joined Gang Starr.
Considered by many fans to be one of the greatest hip hop producers, DJ Premier has produced countless tracks, for many groups and solo artists since the early 1990s. These include notable tracks for artists such as Jay-Z ("D'Evils", "So Ghetto"), Big L ("The Enemy"), The Notorious B.I.G. ("Unbelievable", "Kick In The Door", "Ten Crack Commandments"), Nas ("N.Y. State of Mind", "Nas Is Like"), Pitch Black ("It's All Real"), M.O.P. ("Downtown Swinga"), Jeru the Damaja ("Come Clean", "My Mind Spray"), KRS-One ("MC's Act Like They Don't Know"), Mos Def ("Mathematics"), Non Phixion ("Rockstars"), and Royce da 5'9" ("Boom").(Full list: djpremiertrackology.8kilo.com)
Collaborations
Outside of Gang Starr, some of Premier's most lauded work is his collaborations with Jeru the Damaja and Group Home. With the former, Premier crafted one of the East Coast's landmark albums in the form of The Sun Rises in the East, released in 1994. Their follow up to this, 1996's Wrath of the Math, was regarded as a solid effort but not on par with its predecessor, although it did contain Jeru's biggest hit to date, "Ya Playin' Yaself". Group Home's Livin' Proof (1995), although greatly overlooked at the time of its release, has eventually come to be critically acclaimed.
In 1994, DJ Premier collaborated extensively with jazz musician Branford Marsalis's experimental group, Buckshot Lefonque, for their debut album. During the making of music video director, Hype Williams' 1998 film, Belly, DJ Premier collaborated with neo soul leader D'Angelo for a song called "Devil's Pie", which was originally intended only for the film's accompanying soundtrack. However D'Angelo soon changed his mind and decided to include the song on his sophomore album Voodoo (2000) In 2006 he co-produced Christina Aguilera's Back To Basics album.
Samples
DJ Premier's style of production epitomises the New York sound from his earlier peers. He is known for sampling jazz, funk, and soul artists, as well as sampling an artist's past work, when he is creating a new track for that same artist. In addition, his photographic memory of rap lyrics allows him to distinctively "speak with his hands" by scratching in lyrics from several different songs to construct new phrases [1]. Premier's non-Gang Starr collaborations are well-known for his often-imitated signature of combining short vocal samples, often from multiple artists, to create a chorus. For example, for the chorus of Mos Def's "Mathematics", Premier cuts, in quick succession:
"The Mighty Mos Def..." (from Mos Def's "Body Rock"),
"It's simple mathematics" (from Fat Joe's "John Blaze"),
"I revolve around science..." (from Ghostface Killah's verse on Raekwon's "Criminology"),
"What are we talking about here..." (unknown origin),
"Do your math.." (from Erykah Badu's "On & On"), and
"One, two, three, four" (from James Brown's "Funky Drummer")
On certain artists' work the vocal samples will all be vocal samples of the artist from the artists' past work; "Nas Is Like" and "2nd Childhood" with Nas are two well-known examples of this.
On Jeru the Damaja's "Physical Stamina," however, Premier sampled and chopped up recordings of seminal electro-acoustic music from the 1960s.
Melodies
Premier usually creates a two-bar melody that repeats itself throughout the song. The aim of this is to showcase the MC's skills by bringing focus away from the beat, while creating the song's mood and a solid backdrop. Premier often changes speeds, filters and chops his breaks and adds scope to the melody with chimes and strings.
He has also shown innovation by playing rarely-used elements into a rap song (such as the xylophones on Biggie's "Kick in the Door" or the ambient nature sounds on Nas' "Nas is Like"), and his wide range of instruments (the piano loop on Jay-Z's "D'Evils" versus the strings on Rakim's "New York (Ya Out There?") and production techniques (he played the melody backwards during the second half of Jay-Z's "A Million and One Questions (Rhyme No More)").
Drums
Premier's drums have been known for complimenting his melodies. For example, during Nas' "NY State of Mind", two bars have a simple round of kicks and snares; in the following two, a complementing second set of drums plays out. This is repeated throughout.
Label ownership and future projects
DJ Premier currently owns two record labels. "Year Round Records" was founded in 2002 and has so far released several DJ Premier mixtapes as well as two 12" vinyl singles for NYG'z and Blaq Poet. "Works Of Mart", which is also the name of his publishing company, was founded in mid 2006 and released 12" vinyl singles for artists Tef (aka Teflon) and F.A.B.I.D. (H. Stax and Mike Rone).
Since 2001, DJ Premier mentioned several times the plan to release a solo album entitled "A Man Of Few Words", which has yet to be released. Other confirmed upcoming projects are a full-length colaboration with Nas, Blaq Poet's long delayed album "The Best That Never Did It", Tef's (aka Teflon) long announced album "Contraband" and last but not least protegés NYG'z long delayed debut album "Pros and Cons".
Terrible 2's
DJ Premier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run your, run your damn jewels
Run your, run your
Run your, run your damn jewels
Run your, run, run your (RTJ)
Run your, run your damn jewels (Preemo)
Run your (yeah)
Run your, run, run your damn jewels
The jewelry lifters, the sticky finger money-getters
Grimy as crime rhymers, find dining in dive diners
"Out of line, never mind"-ers, and fuck all you guideliners (liners)
That be playing squeaky clean, 'cause we dirty as coal miners (coal miners)
Getting head, blowing purple kush, smoke to the headliners
And if El say, "You dead," then you dead, we bedtime you
Bedtimer then we leave Atlanta on airliner
Where they go? Who knows? Asia Minor or Carolina
Either way, promise po-po-pos will not find us
Different hoes, area code-code-codes, they will hide us
Different flows like a menstrual cycle, this is Michael
Sick psycho, I be feeling like life is a bit trifle
Big rifle, "Shh, don't tell your enemy shit, Michael"
But I don't like 'em, and I just wanna fight 'em, strike 'em and bite 'em
Hate 'em, bathe 'em in my gasoline dreams and just ignite 'em
Run the Jewels, we the terrible twos, so kids like 'em, yeah
T-t-terrible twos
Boy, I ain't nothing to play with
Run your damn jewels
T-t-terrible twos
Boy, I ain't nothing to play with
Run your damn jewels
Te-te-terrible twos
Bo-bo-boy, I ain't nothing to play with
Run your, run your damn jewels
Terrible-ble-ble twos
Boy, I ain't nothing to play with
Run your damn jewels
Run the Jewels are creature feature
Come meet a couple dreamer deceasers
Ether breather, your grief is a sweetest treat to eat up
Cleanup crew to the leaders of all you Peter beaters
Put a POS in a team of weepers, your guap gettin' seizured
From the top, I'm a tyrant, topple tons of these pussies
"Dead carpet event" attender, celebrity mushin'
You better off dead as a Harley varsity letter grade
I'm a "crime pays" believer-you heated? Invent a better way
Funny how you all tried denyin' us 'til the climate changed
This type of consistent flame weapon-grade, never fade
Look at how we wrecked the game (ayy), don't see it oddly
They want to Jamal Khashoggi me, they're petrified I'll never change
I'm rearranging that thing that you call a face
But fuck the law on Earth, run on up to the pigs' space
We dangerous and we paid
This is a raid, better tuck the chain
Terrible twos
Bo-boy-boy, I ain't nothing to play with
Run your damn jewels
Terrible-ble-ble twos
Boy, I ain't nothing to play with
Run your, run your damn jewels
T-t-terrible twos
Boy, I ain't nothing to play with
Run your damn jewels
T-t-terrible twos
Boy, I ain't nothing to play with
Run, run your damn (jewels)
The song "Terrible 2's" by Run The Jewels is a collaboration between two iconic hip hop names, Run The Jewels and DJ Premier. The lyrics of the song depict the group's confident and aggressive attitude towards their music and their rivals. They describe themselves as "jewelry lifters" and "sticky finger money-getters," living a grimy and criminal lifestyle while still dining in dive diners. They're not concerned with following guidelines and playing it safe in their music and personal lives. They're dirty and unapologetic about it. In the second verse, the focus shifts to their climb to the top, taking down anyone who stands in their way. They're tyrants, and they're not afraid to topple tons of "pussies" in their quest for success. They're dangerous, paid, and they're raiding the rap scene.
Line by Line Meaning
Run your, run your
We command you to comply and hand over your valuables
Run your damn jewels
Specifically, we want your jewelry
Run your (yeah)
We are emphasizing our demand
Run your damn jewels (Preemo)
Our producer DJ Premier is also telling you to give us your jewelry
Run your, run your damn jewels (RTJ)
We repeat our demand, using our group name for added emphasis
The jewelry lifters, the sticky finger money-getters
We are not above stealing to get what we want
Grimy as crime rhymers, find dining in dive diners
We may have a rough exterior, but we can appreciate good food
"Out of line, never mind"-ers, and fuck all you guideliners (liners)
We refuse to follow rules and take offense to those who do
That be playing squeaky clean, 'cause we dirty as coal miners (coal miners)
Some people pretend to be innocent, but we are not afraid to get our hands dirty
Getting head, blowing purple kush, smoke to the headliners
We enjoy sex and smoking marijuana
And if El say, "You dead," then you dead, we bedtime you
If one of us threatens you, we will follow through
Bedtimer then we leave Atlanta on airliner
After taking care of business, we leave town
Where they go? Who knows? Asia Minor or Carolina
We are mysterious and could be anywhere
Either way, promise po-po-pos will not find us
We are confident in our ability to avoid the police
Different hoes, area code-code-codes, they will hide us
We use various women as a means of evading detection
Different flows like a menstrual cycle, this is Michael
Our rap style changes frequently, as if following a menstruation cycle
Sick psycho, I be feeling like life is a bit trifle
We have a twisted and nihilistic outlook on life
Big rifle, "Shh, don't tell your enemy shit, Michael"
We carry large guns and don't reveal our plans to anyone
But I don't like 'em, and I just wanna fight 'em, strike 'em and bite 'em
We have enemies that we want to physically harm
Hate 'em, bathe 'em in my gasoline dreams and just ignite 'em
We want to set our enemies on fire in our dreams
Run the Jewels, we the terrible twos, so kids like 'em, yeah
We are a dangerous duo and enjoy having a bad reputation among children
T-t-terrible twos
We are emphasizing our status as a dangerous pair
Boy, I ain't nothing to play with
We are not to be underestimated or taken lightly
Te-te-terrible twos
Once again, we stress our identity as a dangerous duo
Run your, run your damn jewels
We repeat our demand for your jewelry
Run your damn jewels
We really want your jewelry
Cleanup crew to the leaders of all you Peter beaters
We are in charge of taking care of those who oppose us
Put a POS in a team of weepers, your guap gettin' seizured
We rob people who are crying and take their money
From the top, I'm a tyrant, topple tons of these pussies
We are powerful and will take down anyone who opposes us
"Dead carpet event" attender, celebrity mushin'
We go to fancy events, but still maintain our tough exterior
You better off dead as a Harley varsity letter grade
You would be better off dead than facing us
I'm a "crime pays" believer-you heated? Invent a better way
We believe that crime is profitable and challenge anyone who disagrees
Funny how you all tried denyin' us 'til the climate changed
People underestimated us until we became popular and successful
This type of consistent flame weapon-grade, never fade
Our success and influence will never disappear
Look at how we wrecked the game (ayy), don't see it oddly
We have dominated the rap industry and it shouldn't come as a surprise
They want to Jamal Khashoggi me, they're petrified I'll never change
People want to harm us, but we are not afraid and will remain the same
I'm rearranging that thing that you call a face
We will physically harm those who oppose us
But fuck the law on Earth, run on up to the pigs' space
We don't care about the law and are willing to face the police
We dangerous and we paid
We are both wealthy and dangerous
This is a raid, better tuck the chain
We are coming for your valuables and you better hide them
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Chris Martin, Jaime Meline, Michael Render
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mixisme
Instant favourite. Supreme talents.
Ilyes Brahimi
DJ Premier is number one no doubt 🙏
Mahlatse Paile
This be the best track on the EP. No debate. No contest. Mad flows and rhymes.
Andrew Song
funny my favorite 2 rappers on the ep are nas and joey bad. but those 2 tracks are probably my least favorite on the ep. i agree terrible 2's is my fav track followed by remy ma and then the slick rick/wayne in 3rd. they are all dope tho
Tony McKinney
The Nas joint is the best track to me. The whole ep is dope tho
Sean Youngblood
Yessir!!!!
q u a n t u m
Beat wise this one is one of the best on the ep. Remy Rap was crazy but I kinda like this more because it's grimey and I'm a big RTJ fan so I do have a little bias.
Officer Rod Farva
Maaan, Remy & Rapsody went TF off... But that Slick Rick & Wayne joint is smooth AF
Chef BoyarDiesel Fuel
This instantly became one of my favorite RTJ songs
Nemesis A-Type
The boys always come through for the people ✊✊