RTJ4 – Run the Jewels ★★★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2020	RTJ4	Run The Jewels	★★★★	80	Hip-Hop

I know there have been extremely relevant and timely album releases in the past, but RTJ4 being released at the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement after another example of police brutality during the Covid-19 pandemic, and all of the lyrics being about social justice and equality and police brutality made it the perfect anthem for the moment. 

Is it better or worse than Run the Jewels’ other three albums? It’s really hard to say, because the group is so consistent in quality and style. But Killer Mike and El-P have never sounded as relevant as they did in 2020, with expectedly smart, pointed lyrics and well-times comedy. 

Style wise, this album is loud and in-your-face like the others, but there is a bit more weight to the music, which slows the tempo down a little and eliminates some of the really upbeat, celebratory songs of the past (it’s hard to be upbeat when the subject matter is so serious). But that doesn’t mean it’s an album that drags at all. Each track moves really smoothly one to the next. There are cool beat shifts. There are fun features like 2 Chainz, Gangsta Boo, Pharrell, Zach de la Rocha and Mavis Staples (with backing vocals by Josh Homme).  

Album highlights include “JU$T,” “Walking In The Snow,” “Never Look Back” and “Ooh La La,” but every track is worth paying attention to.