In the history of rap music, the success of Killer Mike (Michael Render), a Black man from Atlanta, Georgia, and El-P (Jaime Meline), a white man from Brooklyn, New York, seems implausible. Yet, they’ve defied all odds, turning what should have been the twilight of their careers into the peak of their success. As the powerhouse duo Run the Jewels, El-P and Killer Mike have headlined global festivals, become action figures and Marvel comic characters, led a worldwide countercultural movement, and played significant roles in the last two U.S. presidential elections.
Their journey evokes a modern-day buddy movie. Filled with twists and triumphs, it mirrors the massive shifts in the music industry over the last 25 years–from the peak of the CD era to its decline and the rise of streaming platforms–and reflects the evolution of pop culture and its sociopolitical climate. From the surge of Afrofuturism and the fall of the Twin Towers to the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement and Colin Kaepernick’s protest, these pivotal moments shaped how their growing friendship turned Killer Mike and El-P from underground solo acts into globally recognized icons.
Listen to the 10th anniversary edition of Run the Jewels’ first album here.
Killer Mike, the 39-year-old rapper and entrepreneur, commands attention with his powerful presence, blending raw talent with a unique perspective that sets him apart. His verses seamlessly navigate detailed street narratives, intense battle raps, sharp punchlines, and passionate political commentary. Killer Mike first gained widespread recognition as a protégé of Outkast, the iconic Atlanta rap duo that paved the way for Southern hip hop to earn international respect. As a member of the Dungeon Family, he got his big break with a standout feature on Snappin’ and trappin’, a track from OutKast’s 2000 album Stankonia. After a series of solo releases and mixtapes, he expanded his creative reach, contributing music and voicing a character on Frisky dingo, an animated series that marked the beginning of his collaboration with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. In 2012, Killer Mike dropped R.A.P. music, a fiery album that brought together his commanding presence with the menacing beats of El-P, a seasoned veteran of New York City’s independent hip hop scene.
El-P first made his mark as part of Company Flow, a group of sharp-tongued, anti-establishment lyricists who approached their tracks with the same rebellious energy as graffiti artists tagging subway cars. As the flagship act of Rawkus Records, a powerhouse of independent hip hop in the mid-1990s, Company Flow’s 1996 album Funcrusher plus became a cornerstone of underground hip hop. By the end of the decade, El-P, alongside his manager Amaechi Uzoigwe, launched the Definitive Jux label, with the intent to release Company Flow’s second album. However, before the project could come to fruition, the group split up. Despite this, the unfinished material was eventually reworked and became the foundation for El-P’s solo breakout, marking the start of his career as a solo artist and producer.
The unexpected collaboration between underground hip hop giants El-P and Killer Mike turned out to be a perfect fit. In 2013, the duo reunited to launch Run the Jewels, revamping the gritty, hard-hitting style of late-1980s and early-1990s hip hop legends like Ice Cube and EPMD. Through their groundbreaking releases, Killer Mike and El-P firmly established themselves as dominant forces in modern music, becoming influential voices in the soundscape of contemporary rap.
This according to Kill your masters: Run the Jewels and the world that made them by Jaap Van der Doelen (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2024; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature 2024-15629).
Watch Run the Jewels perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts here.
