“I have been prepared to lead something, and I’m not saying an organization, a movement, I’m not saying that. I’ve been chosen to be a voice on the behalf of my community. And I don’t mean in a grand and mystical way just by the universe, but I am a legacy of Bettie Clonts and Willie Sherwood, my grandparents. I’m a legacy of Alice Johnson and Walter Cleveland, Albert Love, and Reverend James Orange. The people who taught me to organize. Edward Johnson. Black Teens for Advancement. The SCLC. There was an investment of community, in me, every step of the way. And I owe that experience, the honor of stepping up when it is my time to do that. And I try my best to do that on a daily basis.” – Killer Mike, episode 179 on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
Run The Jewels is an American hip-hop super duo that features the talents of Brooklyn rapper/producer El-P and Atlanta emcee Killer Mike. This week, they sit down with us to talk about the labels the media has placed on them (6:50), the subject of dreams and challenging younger generations (16:09), the inner-workings of how they create together (21:00), their philosophies of the purpose of rap (29:58), why the night of November 24th, 2014 changed them (33:47), their purpose in this precarious moment (40:27), and, finally, whether they believe RTJ was destiny (46:28).
Show notes:
- Buy / Stream RTJ4
- Follow Run The Jewels on Instagram and Twitter.
- Follow Killer Mike and El-P individually on Instagram.
- The night of November 24th, 2014.
- Watch Run The Jewel’s full NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert here.
Illustrations by: Krishna Shenoi.
Music by: Dylan Peck
Subscribe on: Apple Music, Spotify.