In 2012, El-P produced Killer Mike's critically acclaimed album R.A.P. Music. The following week, Killer Mike appeared on the track "Tougher Colder Killer", from El-P's album Cancer 4 Cure.
Both won the acclaim of media and fans across the globe and led to 2012′s legendary, hugely successful “Into The Wild” tour. One year later, the duo return to satisfy fan demand, and their own creative urges, as Run The Jewels, cementing their musical alliance with a full album of uncompromisingly raw, forward thinking hip-hop.
They released their self-titled debut album, Run the Jewels, on June 26 2013, via Fool's Gold Records to critical acclaim.
Their follow-up record, Run the Jewels 2, was announced in August 2014. It was released through Mass Appeal Records, on October 24, 2014. They also announced the release of a traditional remix album of Run the Jewels 2, which will be released via Fool's Gold Records Records in 2015, and a remix album titled Meow the Jewels exclusively featuring "cat sounds" which will see guest production from Prince Paul, The Alchemist, Just Blaze, Dan the Automator, and others.
Run the Jewels 3 was digitally released on December 24, 2016, three weeks prior to its previously announced release date of January 13, 2017. Physical release of the album appeared on January 13 in the United States and January 20 elsewhere.
In June 2017, the track "Legend Has It" from Run the Jewels 3 was featured in the teaser trailer for Marvel's Black Panther during game four of the 2017 NBA Finals, and was viewed 89 million times in 24 hours. Multiple Run the Jewels tracks were also featured in the 2017 action film Baby Driver, which also featured a cameo by Killer Mike. In September 2017, Run the Jewels released "Mean Demeanor", a track created for the football video game FIFA 18.
In March 2018, Adult Swim released a Run the Jewels/Rick and Morty crossover music video for "Oh Mama". The music was a remix of "Oh Mama" from Run the Jewels 3 accompanied by sound effects from a Rick and Morty short. The effort was directed by Juan Meza-León, and was released prior to Run the Jewels headlining the 2018 Adult Swim Festival on October 7, 2018.
On December 12, 2019, the single "Legend Has It" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Run The Jewel's 4th studio album, RTJ4, was released on June 3, 2 days earlier than the pre-determined release date, following the wave of protests about the death of George Floyd in the hands of police brutality. RTJ4 was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 89, based on 26 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
36" Chain
Run the Jewels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Number two boo boo straight caca (Yeah)
I smoke ganja with a dread-locked rasta
Move like Frank you will die like a hassa
Move like Jesus die like a martyr
Hell of a choice when you riding a Lamotta
Trynna get some hoes in the hot car
How far is we away, man? Not far
Are not, we are those juggernauts
Me El, we hail
Like a young Che Guevara and Fidel
Castro, cash flow, car full of females
Bad hoes, we in the DR
Any fuck rapper boy gettin' out of line
I pray the preacher beat him to the goddamn ER
I spit them country rap tunes like Hee-Haw
Cocaine flow fishscale no re-rock
Take a snort for yourself shawty, see? "He raw. See he raw!"
That's you shawty go on snort your nose off
Then put the news in the street Tom Brokaw
'Cause of you shawty met a bad stone bitch out of
Brooklyn and that Brooklyn bitch straight got broke off
Yeah she called her homegirl from the BX, freaky lil 'Rican brought X and we sexed
Couple months later brought 'em down to Atlanta
And let 'em style on the 'bamas that's right yeah we flex
Heard she got a baby daddy and a nigga
Acting aggy runnin' round talkin' 'bout yeah he plexed
Nigga better pray for a ho like he
Tebow though, 'cause right now he stay losin' like The Jets
And I walk around like I got a 36" chain
And I walk around like I got a 36" chain
Bitch we be that shit that's right
Light a flare put your thumbs in the air high five
I came for the stash box gimme that
I been waitin' for this all my life
3 AM and I'm still not right
Still awake still away from fading, crazy
Psilocybin, why the ride so hazy
Dribble this spit till the street gets wavy
The bliss and pure shit magician
Get to skipping
Not too tall dark and handsome man
But I talk dark for ransoms man
Spend grands of those zombies
Folded origami
Yes I bag the clams
Anyone object to the styles, get a smile and a backwards hand
(Peep that) Felonious face in the place of an angel
Bringing that buckshot back to the table
Been a veteran, earthbound hellion
Try to say grace get a face full of staples
Woke up and the city air smelled like maple
If you come straight from New York you relate
If you come straight from another place stay too
Me and Mike got the whole map held safe
Be it NYC or the ATL
From the ceilings of heaven to the gates of hell
We murder death killed every stage we step
Homicide times two better warn yourself, El
Anybody looking for some trouble better self med
We could double dutch in a minefield, hell gets
Just the right temperature, break beat minister
River-dance cleats on your face for the finisher
In the song "36" Chain" by Run the Jewels, the first verse starts with a boastful declaration of their greatness and superiority over other rappers. The lyrics then shift to a reference of smoking marijuana with a Rastafarian while warning of the consequences of emulating the lifestyles of criminals like Frank and Jesus. The second verse depicts a gritty tale of drugs, sex, and violence where the rapper boasts of his prowess while cautioning anyone who steps out of line to be mindful of the consequences. The chorus then repeats a claim of wearing a 36" chain and scoffing at anyone who questions their status.
Throughout the song, the lyrics are filled with bravado and references to violence, drugs, and sex. The rappers appear to be challenging the norms of society and celebrating their status as outsiders. The song also contains references to Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, indicating a revolutionary spirit that is willing to challenge the status quo. Overall, "36" Chain" is an intense, aggressive song that glorifies a life of excess and danger.
Line by Line Meaning
Bitch we be that shit that's right
We are the best of the best, unbeatable
Number two boo boo straight caca (Yeah)
There's no competition, we're number one all the way
I smoke ganja with a dread-locked rasta
I enjoy smoking marijuana with people who have dreadlocks
Move like Frank you will die like a hassa
If you move like Frank, you will die like a fool
Move like Jesus die like a martyr
If you try to be like Jesus, you may end up sacrificing yourself
Hell of a choice when you riding a Lamotta
It's a difficult decision to make when you're being brave like Jake LaMotta
Trynna get some hoes in the hot car
I'm trying to get some attractive women to ride in my fancy car
How far is we away, man? Not far
We are very close to our destination
The greatness they claim, not all
Not everyone who claims to be great really is
Are not, we are those juggernauts
We really are the powerful forces that people claim to be
Me El, we hail
El-P and I are amazing and worthy of praise
Like a young Che Guevara and Fidel
We are like young revolutionaries, changing the game
Castro, cash flow, car full of females
We have a lot of money and women, just like famous leader Fidel Castro
Bad hoes, we in the DR
We are in the Dominican Republic with attractive women
Any fuck rapper boy gettin' out of line
Any rapper who disrespects us will face consequences
I pray the preacher beat him to the goddamn ER
I hope the rapper gets what's coming to him and ends up in the ER
I spit them country rap tunes like Hee-Haw
I rap country-style music like the TV show 'Hee-Haw'
Cocaine flow fishscale no re-rock
My cocaine is pure and uncut
Take a snort for yourself shawty, see? "He raw. See he raw!"
Try some of my cocaine, it's extremely potent and pure
That's you shawty go on snort your nose off
If you want to keep snorting, go ahead and ruin your nose
Then put the news in the street Tom Brokaw
Spread the news about my cocaine in the streets, like Tom Brokaw reports the news
'Cause of you shawty met a bad stone bitch out of Brooklyn and that Brooklyn bitch straight got broke off
Because of my cocaine, a girl from Brooklyn met a bad man and ended up getting hurt
Yeah she called her homegirl from the BX, freaky lil 'Rican brought X and we sexed
She called her friend from the Bronx who brought ecstasy and we had sex
Couple months later brought 'em down to Atlanta
A few months later, we brought them to Atlanta
And let 'em style on the 'bamas that's right yeah we flex
We showed off our wealth and power to everyone in Alabama
Heard she got a baby daddy and a nigga
I heard the girl from Brooklyn has a baby and a boyfriend
Acting aggy runnin' round talkin' 'bout yeah he plexed
Her boyfriend is acting tough and talking about how great he is
Nigga better pray for a ho like he Tebow though, 'cause right now he stay losin' like The Jets
Her boyfriend needs to pray to be successful with women like Tim Tebow, because right now he's losing like the terrible football team, Jets
And I walk around like I got a 36" chain
I project an image of wealth and success
Bitch we be that shit that's right
I reiterate, we are unbeatable and amazing
Light a flare put your thumbs in the air high five
Celebrate our success, light a flare and give us high fives
I came for the stash box gimme that
I'm here to get the hidden stash box, give it to me
I been waitin' for this all my life
I've been waiting for this big score forever
3 AM and I'm still not right
It's 3 in the morning and I'm still not feeling right
Still awake still away from fading, crazy
I'm still awake and not fading away, but going crazy
Psilocybin, why the ride so hazy
I'm feeling the effects of psilocybin, which is making everything seem hazy
Dribble this spit till the street gets wavy
I'm rapping so well that I'm making the street seem wavy
The bliss and pure shit magician
I'm very good at creating amazing, pure songs
Get to skipping
I'm so good that people can't help but dance and skip to my music
Not too tall dark and handsome man
I'm not typically attractive, but I still have amazing talent
But I talk dark for ransoms man
I may not look intimidating, but I can be scary when people mess with me
Spend grands of those zombies
I spend a lot of money on people who follow trends like zombies
Folded origami
I handle money carefully, folding it like origami
Yes I bag the clams
Yes, I make a lot of money and have a lot of cash
Anyone object to the styles, get a smile and a backwards hand
If anyone doesn't like my music, I'll just smile and flip them off
(Peep that) Felonious face in the place of an angel
Be careful, even though I look innocent, I can be a criminal
Bringing that buckshot back to the table
I'm bringing my violent attitude back to the discussion
Been a veteran, earthbound hellion
I'm experienced in the rap game and can be difficult to work with
Try to say grace get a face full of staples
If you try to be religious around me, I'll hurt you
Woke up and the city air smelled like maple
I woke up and the air smelled sweet and comforting
If you come straight from New York you relate
If you come from New York, you'll understand what I'm talking about
If you come straight from another place stay too
If you come from somewhere else, you'll still appreciate us
Me and Mike got the whole map held safe
El-P and I are in control of everything
Be it NYC or the ATL
Whether it's New York or Atlanta, we're in charge
From the ceilings of heaven to the gates of hell
We have influence everywhere, even in the most extreme places
We murder death killed every stage we step
We are amazing performers and always succeed
Homicide times two better warn yourself, El
We are such a powerful duo that it's like having two murderers on stage
Anybody looking for some trouble better self med
Anyone trying to start problems with us should get some self-help therapy instead
We could double dutch in a minefield, hell gets
We are so good that we could play jump rope in a dangerous place without getting hurt
Just the right temperature, break beat minister
We are just the right amount of cool and collected to make amazing music
River-dance cleats on your face for the finisher
We'll embarrass anyone who tries to compete with us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: TORBITT SCHWARTZ, MICHAEL RENDER, JAMIE MELINE, MICHAEL SANTIGO RENDER, JAIME MELINE, TORBITT CASTLEMAN SCHWARTZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Seventh Seal
El p epitomizes hip hop. Pure creativity and depth of lyrics. Since company flow a godfather of true street art hip hop.
Greg K
Seventh Seal cause EL-P is that fuckin DUDE!
Callum Lambkin
Why do y'all underrate Mike so much? No disrespect to El but Mike is absolutely the more recognisable and iconic rapper
cj johnson
@Callum Lambkin El produced RTJ don't forget
Jimmy Watt
@Callum Lambkin I've never seen Mike underrated by anyone. I actually think he gets far more attention in this duo. They're both great.
mamba
@Callum LambkinI wouldn't say more iconic. He might be more known commercially but El P and his sound helped him explode into higher heights.
Both are great.
Hugh Jazz
"Not a too tall, dark and handsome man/ But I talk dark for ransoms, man." My favourite line in a rap song in a while.
Dom1118
Wonder if all these newer fans take the time to go back in these two artist's discography to see that they are legends in their own rights.
Freddy
I mean El Producto is a legend, Killer Mike is great and R.A.P Music and RTJ are amazing but I wouldn't call him a legend.
Hexdoll
Kris Smilles. I agree, but I think he may be on his way.