Following an enormous outpour of positive feedback for Run The Jewels’ latest album RTJ4, Killer Mike has spoken out about the timely release.
Amid a world that is globally mourning the death of 46-year-old George Floyd who died late last month due to having his neck crushed by a Minneapolis police officer, Run The Jewels have remained a voice that is staying front and centre throughout Black Lives Matter marches.
While the newest album by Run The Jewels, RTJ4, released a few days early in the midst of all the sadness that is going on, the supergroup duo also announced that they were making their album free.
“The world is infested with bullshit, so here’s something raw to listen to while you deal with it all,” Run The Jewels announced via their Instagram.
One voice of the hip-hop duo is Killer Mike, who has recently spoken to Rolling Stone about the timely release of the album where some of the lyrics circle around deaths of persons of colour at the hands of police.
“I’m happy that this time we landed right on time so our music can be the soundtrack to progress – and that’s what it feels like,” Killer Mike stated.
“The environment and the pipe that finally burst are always there, and I think that if you listen to [Run The Jewels’] music consistently – as solo artists and together – you’re really hearing similar themes pop back up, ’cause they never go away.
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“In this moment right here, we have an opportunity to change the American legislation process in terms of making sure that policemen are held accountable. We have an opportunity to seize the moment where money does not matter over the cost of human life.
“We could nail a few things out through legislation by voting and just socially – the way we interact and treat one another.”
Additionally Killer Mike noted what he’d like to see come of the rap genre after being asked if he wished for the genre to be “more openly political”
“I wish that people who have the true knowledge, wisdom and understanding within rap were more openly political,” he said, adding: “What I would like to see more of is the rappers, the people involved and the people who make money from us – the large corporations and the media corporations – getting more involved in protecting our rights.”
Check out RTJ4 by Run The Jewels:
