Run the Jewels to make RTJ4 available for free in wake of George Floyd's death

Run the Jewels will release their long-awaited fourth album this Friday, June 5th. One half of the group, rapper/producer El P has announced the record will be made available for free in a show of solidarity with George Floyd protestors.

“I don’t have shit left to say right now that me and my brother Killer Mike don’t express on this album,” El P wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post. Killer Mike has made several public statements since the death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin on Monday, May 25th.

But El – real name Jaime Meline – wants to let the duo’s new record, RTJ4, do the talking. “On it is all our joy, humor, friendship and rage,” he wrote. “When it drops on Friday it will not only be for sale but it will be made available for FREE for ANYONE who wants some music.

“For me this is the only way I really know how to contribute to the human struggle and experience beyond just trying to be kind and aware and grow.”

Run the Jewels have become one of the most distinct and uncompromising forces in contemporary hip hop since their self-titled debut album emerged in 2013. El P and Killer Mike were both in their late-30s when the album came out, but the hype surrounding the underground hip hop veterans has only increased in subsequent years.

“We never thought that when we were doing the first one that RTJ would become our whole lives and honestly we are so grateful it did,” they say in a statement on the RTJ website.

It’s three-and-a-half years since RTJ3 and anticipation is rife for the group’s follow-up – especially since the project was announced in October 2018. The first singles from RTJ4 finally appeared in March 2020 and details of the album followed shortly thereafter. The album features guest spots from Greg Nice and DJ Premier (‘Ooh LA LA’), 2 Chainz (‘Out of Sight’), Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha (‘Ju$t’), and Mavis Staples and Josh Homme (‘Pulling the Pin’).