Run the Jewels 2

Run the Jewels 2 is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels, which consists of Killer Mike and El-P. The album was released early for free on October 24, 2014, and the following day on iTunes. It was made available on CD and LP by Mass Appeal Records and RBC Records on October 28, 2014.
"Run the Jewels 2" received widespread acclaim from critics for its darker and more layered production, Killer Mike and El-P's lyricism and chemistry and its guest contributions. Several publications also ranked it as the best album of 2014, including "Pitchfork", "Complex" and "Stereogum". The album debuted at number 50 on the US "Billboard" 200, selling 12,000 copies in the first week.
A parody remix album, "Meow the Jewels", was released for free featuring beats created entirely from cat sounds. In addition to "Meow the Jewels", a standard remix album was scheduled to be released by Fool's Gold Records in 2015 as well.
Promotion.
On September 2, 2014, Run the Jewels released a song titled "Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1", as the album's first single. On September 15, 2014, Run the Jewels released "Oh My Darling Don't Cry", the second offering from the album. "Oh My Darling Don't Cry" was later released on September 30, 2014, via digital distribution, as the album's second single. The album's third single, "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" featuring Zack de la Rocha, was released on October 13, 2014.
Critical reception.
"Run the Jewels 2" was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 89, based on 35 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
David Jeffries of AllMusic stated, "If the first album was the supernova, "RTJ2" is the RTJ universe forming, proving that Mike and El-P's one-off can be a going, and ever growing, concern". Brian Josephs of "The A.V. Club" stated, "The sequel takes the simplistic thrills of the debut and expands the duo's natural chemistry. With Killer Mike grounded at the album's emotional core, El-P is free to indulge in his intrepid production tendencies". In "The Irish Times", Jim Carroll dubbed the album "a case of upping the ante all round and then some" highlighting "both principals at the top of their game". Pat Levy of "Consequence" said, "An album like "RTJ2" is rare. Decades from now, this album may just be revered as one of the best hip-hop records of our era, the total synchronicity of two talented artists reaching the apex of their prime".
Paul Maclnnes of "The Guardian" stated, "While the duo deliver hard-nosed disses at a rate of knots. Early, meanwhile, matches distorted synth with an old-school storytelling piece about pursuit and arrest by the police. It's an unrelenting style, which may sound like overkill to some, but there's no disputing its power and sophisticated composition". Kellan Miller of "HipHopDX" stated, "Throughout "RTJ2" [El-P] holds his own rhyming alongside a superior wordsmith". James Rainis of "Slant Magazine" stated, ""RTJ2" is the rare sequel that bests the beloved original in almost every facet". Dan Rys of "XXL" said, "For people looking for soulful, melodic hip-hop, this is not the album to pick up. Neither is it one for the kids who just want to repeat two words over and over again and call it a hook while jumping up and down and punching the air repeatedly. When listening to "RTJ2", those feelings are translated into punches aimed at faces instead of spaces, and they always connect. The beats are grimy—typical of an El-P-produced project—and add even more grit to an album that doesn’t ooze confidence so much as shoves you in the chest with it".
Randall Roberts of the "Los Angeles Times" stated, "Run the Jewels is the team of two indie titans, El-P and Killer Mike, who have upended convention by remaining idealistically true, artistically adventurous and creatively emboldened well into their second decade as rapper-producers. The pair's second album, released as a free download last week, proves it 11 times over". Al Horner of "NME" said, "Cranking the urgency and confrontation of last year's self-titled debut to neck-breaking levels of intensity, "RTJ2" is an urgent, paranoid album for a violent, panicked time. It's a bleak future Run The Jewels envision for America, but as long as Mike and El-P are collaborating, at least the future of hip-hop is in safe hands". Ian Cohen of "Pitchfork" stated, "Sounding like nothing else and answering to nobody but its creators, "Run the Jewels 2" is in a class by itself". Jon Dolan of "Rolling Stone" stated, "On their second album as Run the Jewels, noise-loving Brooklyn rapper-producer El-P and Atlanta's Killer Mike make the most explosive hip-hop you'll hear all year".
Commercial performance.
"Run the Jewels 2" debuted at number 50 on the US "Billboard" 200, with first-week sales of 12,000 copies in the United States.
Track listing.
Notes
Personnel.
Credits adapted from liner notes.