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Why You Need To See Run The Jewels At Falls Festival

Run The Jewels are my current favourite hip hop act. Their second album Run The Jewels 2 is easily my favourite rap album of the year, and if you’ve heard it, it’s probably yours too. Lead single Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) featured none other than RATM’s legendary Zack de la Rocha, and that was enough to grab my attention, particularly because it’s been played on the radio, in spite of that name. Once the full album came out back in October, I was hooked. There’s been a few weeks since where I literally (and I mean that in the correct sense of the term) struggled to listen to anything else. I’m pretty sure I can recite most of the album by heart now.

They’ll be making an appearance at this year’s Falls Festival, as well as a couple of side shows. As Run The Jewels, the pair, made up of Killer Mike and El-P have swiftly built one hell of a reputation not only for biting lyrics and a wicked flow, but intense, powerful and impassioned live performances, so you know you’re in for one fucking blaster of a show.

Considered by some to be something of an “odd couple” in hip hop, it’s been nothing short of a spectacle to watch two men in their late thirties swoop in and take over the entire scene. While Killer Mike has been out and about for years, notably through his work with OutKast, El-P was still relatively unknown to the game. Until now, that is.

Signed to Fool’s Gold Records among other rap and electronic tastemakers including Action Bronson, Danny Brown, Flosstradamus, Laidback Luke, RL Grime and Tchami, it’s clear that they’re in the right hands, and there’s no sign of them slowing down. Rumour also has it that isn’t the last we’ll be hearing from Zack de la Rocha and RTJ – Killer Mike recently spoke about how the pair hung out for a full month way back in 1999, and that they’re planning to do the same in early 2015, to work on some new material.

What I love about their music is the combination of viper lyrics, slithered lyrics , intense vulgarity alongside social awareness, incredible samples and musical backings that are more impressive, catchy and enjoyable than almost any other rap coming out at the moment. I constantly detect a hint of diluted Death Grips in their tunes, and, considering how much I love the semi-defunct DG, it’s really no surprise that I love these guys so much. It’s heavy, it’s fast, it’s smart, it’s raunchy, it’s original and it’s generally just fucking brilliant.

Anyway, I’ll stop going on about them now, here’s a few tracks for you to enjoy yourself.

You can catch Run The Jewels at Falls Festival or at their own shows in January:

Falls Festival Lorne: Sun Dec 28th 2014 – Wed Dec 31st
Falls Festival marion Bar: Mon Dec 29th – Wed Dec 31st
Falls Festival Byron: Tues 30th Dec – Fri Jan 2nd
Southbound: Sat Jan 3rd – Sun Jan 4th

Wed Jan 7th: Enmore Theatre, Sydney (w/ Joey bada$$)
Thurs Jan 8th: The Forum, Melb (w/ Joey bada$$)
Fri Jan 9th: The Hi-Fi, Brisbane (w/ Joey bada$$)