Run the Jewels will make their much-anticipated fourth album RTJ4 available for free this Friday (5th June) in support of ongoing protests in the US following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police last week.
“I don’t have shit left to say right now that me and my brother @killermike don’t express on this album so i’m not saying shit anymore til then. on it is all our joy, humor, friendship and rage,” said El-P, one half of the hip-hop duo, in an Instagram post.
“we got bangers to help you lose yourself and smile and we got shit that comes from the deepest places in our hearts and 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.”
The rapper went on to explain that 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.”
“i love y’all be safe don’t fall for the fuck shit and protect each other and your spirits from those that would divide and hurt you. this ain’t an advertisement this is just me saying i love you and i hope this music does something for you in these fucked up times.”
El-P’s partner in Run the Jewels, Killer Mike, has made several statements since the death of Floyd last week. In an impassioned speech, Mike told protesters in Atlanta, “We don’t want to see one officer charged, we want to see four officers prosecuted and sentenced. We don’t want to see Targets burning, we want to see the system that sets up for systemic racism burnt to the ground.”
RTJ4 will be the duo’s first album in about three and a half years, following RTJ3 back in 2016. The album features collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Zack de la Rocha, 2 Chainz, Mavis Staples and Josh Homme.
Recorded primarily at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La Studios along with Electric Lady Studios in New York, the album is the result of a two-year period of “writing, recording, distilling and amplifying the most potent elements of their music,” according to a press release.
