After laying down what was easily one of the best hip-hop albums of 2013 with their debut effort, Run The Jewels, Atlanta’s Michael “Killer Mike” Render and Brooklyn’s Jamie “El-P” Meline return a year later with Run The Jewels 2. In a continuation and expansion of the rampage on which they embarked with their first album, Render and Meline show a bit more of their individual styles, with more social commentary throughout from the both of them and El-P taking a slightly more aggressive and dynamic tone compared to their first record. With El-P once again handling both beats and bars, Run The Jewels has not dropped off one bit since we last heard from them.

El-P resumes his assault on the eardrums with his signature dark, heavily layered, and aggressive production on this album. With the help of Little Shalimar and Wilder Zoby on “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry” and “All Due Respect”, along with a contribution on “Lie, Cheat, Steal” from Boots, who featured heavily in the production and writing credits for Beyoncé’s self-titled album last year, this record certainly does not disappoint in terms of production. The dark, lurking, and abrasive beat on “Blockbuster Night, Part 1” is a mugger’s ultimate soundtrack. The grimy drums on this track tenderize the eardrums while making the listener want more. On “Close Your Eyes”, which features Zach de la Rocha, former lead vocalist of Rage Against the Machine, El-P incorporates samples of De La Rocha’s voice into the very gritty and energetic beat, which makes for a very unique track to blast for the neighbors at house parties or in the car with the windows rolled down. Really, this entire album is suitable for such behavior. Even the relatively mellow “Early” and “Crown” are absolute bangers, with Boots delivering a beautifully eerie and emotive hook on the former.

Killer Mike and El-P are very well known and respected in the alternative hip-hop community, mainly for their dedication to their craft. Both are extremely creative, talented, and thoughtful lyricists in their own right and they have shown for the second time that when they come together to trade verses on an entire album, they compliment each other beautifully. Though each has made slight adaptations to their style for the good of the collaboration, Killer Mike and El-P show more of their individual styles on this record compared to the last one. The album is still filled with tracks like “Jeopardy”, “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”, and “Love Again” where they are simply rapping fun, braggadocious, and hyperbolic verses, but towards the end of the album, the subject matter gets a little heavier and the songs have a more somber tone to them. On “Early” Killer Mike and El-P speak on police brutality and corruption, with Killer Mike delivering a verse on how police brutality affects not only the victim, but the family of the victim as well. El-P discusses how “the system” or “the man” is manipulating society and he addresses critics who call him paranoid or a conspiracy theorist. Boots’ haunting chorus echoes the sentiments expressed in Killer Mike and El-P’s verses of feeling trapped or suffocated.  These are recurring themes for the respective artists, and brings a new dynamic in their partnership to light in that neither of them has to change their style drastically in order to work together. Throughout the album, Killer Mike maintains his aggressive, yet smooth flow while El-P continues to melt minds with his clever wordplay, complex rhyme schemes, and immense lyrical prowess.

As perennial students of the art of rap, Killer Mike and El-P have finally gained the recognition and attention they deserve both as individuals and as a duo, just as they are about to enter middle age. Given their age, it is unclear if there will be any more from this duo. If this is their last record then it is a brilliant one to end on. If Run The Jewels was a shot made from the halfway line and the hip-hop world said I bet you can’t do that again, then Run The Jewels 2 is a second shot drained from full court just to let the world know that there was zero luck involved.