Ty Listens to "RTJ4"

Last Wednesday I got an email, as well as millions of others I expect, that Run the Jewels had decided to release their fourth album two days early.

I was obviously ecstatic.

I have been anxiously awaiting this album. I have been talking about it on the pod, in my writing and to anyone that will listen about my excitement. I also teased on a podcast a few weeks back that when they released the album I would dedicate an entire week to it. I'd like to welcome you all to that week. That will be my singular focus for the next five days. I'm going to give a review today, something short and sweet. That is because the next four days I will be talking about three songs per day, and then telling you all why I think it is the single most important piece of music out there right now.

Which leads me to my review.

This album is amazing. It was more than worth the wait. You can hear how much they poured themselves into this album. You feel it with every song. I love all of their albums, and I do not think I am being a prisoner of the moment when I say I feel like this is their best work to date. That is also why they are the best group in the world. With each record they continue to grow, try new things out and get better and better. El-P said on Talib Kwali's podcast that they have worked their hardest yet on "RTJ4", and it clearly shows. From the beats to the lyrics, it is a phenomenal, seminal piece of musical art. This goes beyond genres. This isn't simply the greatest hip hop record of the year, it is, without a doubt, the record of the year. It goes past genres. It is too important to be pigeonholed that way. They do so much more than just rap on this album. I knew they were political before. They have stood up to injustices the world over. Killer Mike is one of the most profound and prolific speakers we have in our country. They take all of that to a whole other level on this album.

I cannot wait to tell you all about some of the songs on this that will become anthems, that will stand the test of time and be talked about for the rest of my life. I am letting my children listen to this record because I want them to know what is going on, and how Run the Jewels, myself and millions upon millions of others feel about the state of the United States right now. It is more than just music for me. This is the start of a revolution that I will fall in line with 100 percent. I will follow Killer Mike and El-P to the ends of the world. I have listened to this record around a dozen times, easily I might add, already. And I will listen to it millions more before the month of June is over. Run the Jewels is becoming the mouthpiece of the new generation. They are my era's Public Enemy, and sorry to RD for writing this, only they are better, and more important. That's the honest truth, and I adore Public Enemy. But when El-P and Killer Mike got together to make this record, it must have been that Jordan feeling for them. They must have known that this was going to be extremely important, extremely loved and talked about as one of the greatest records of all time. I already know that it will top my best of 2020 music list. Hell, the video for "ooh la la" may even be on my best of movies list. I cannot stress enough how important, influential and game changing this record is.

I know that RTJ is supposed to go on tour with Rage Against the Machine next year as their opener, but I feel like RTJ may be more suited to being the headlining act. They are that good. I have always loved these guys, even before they formed RTJ. But the idea they had to pair up was lightning in a bottle, and they have only gotten stronger and stronger with each record and each tour.

Run the Jewels continues to amaze me, and I am glad that I live in a world where they release new music, for free I might add, and it is this god damn good. Please, do yourself a favor and go listen to this album right now. As I said, there will be much more in depth pieces this week. But for today I just want to point out that this is the best record of the year, it is the most important record of the year and it will go down as one of the greatest records of all time. So yeah, I love "RTJ 4".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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