![]() I knew there was only one artist that made sense to bring to him to produce.” “I asked Mike what his favorite album was and he said Amerikkka’s Most Wanted. “I had a particular interest at that time in the idea of mashing up ‘indie’- or ‘alternative’-style rap music with what was the more prevalent style of Southern rap music,” DeMarco recalls. “If you put a pile of horseshit in one room, I’m the kid who’s going to come in and say, ‘With all this shit in here, there’s gotta be a goddamn pony somewhere for me to ride.’” His hopeful outlook was finally about to pay off. “Man, I’m eternally optimistic,” he says. Still, he was perhaps in a less jaded place than his soon-to-be producer. But his solo run through the 2000s hadn’t elevated him to stardom, and he wondered what to do next. After making his recording debut on OutKast’s Stankonia, he rejoined the ATL legends for “The Whole World,” which nabbed them (and him) a Grammy. Mike, too, had an arc that hadn’t quite gone as hoped. I was scared.” Exiting an era of frustration and anxiety about his future as an artist, El knew all he had left was his ability to make a new solo album. “It was the first time I was having some major doubts about my future. ![]() “I didn’t even know if people would want to hear from me again,” El remembers. He was renowned in New York’s backpack scene, but had a crisis of faith in his mid-30s, amidst the collapse of Def Jux. Along the way, he got started in the group Company Flow, spearheaded the label Definitive Jux, and released a handful of acclaimed solo albums. El had already been in the game for nearly 20 years, dating back to his late teens. In the years leading up to their introduction, El-P and Killer Mike had both been through the wringer. DeMarco had known and worked with both rappers, and he found himself conversing with Killer Mike at a crossroads-his solo career wasn’t going where he wanted it to, and he was wrestling with continuing to use the Killer Mike name. That collection was produced entirely by El-P, the New York producer Mike had only recently just met thanks to their mutual acquaintance, Adult Swim creative director Jason DeMarco. Run the Jewels’ origin story comes with a prologue, in the shape of Killer Mike’s 2012 solo album, R.A.P. He adds, laughing: “Sometimes it was just waiting for him to come around.” “There’s never been a time where I didn’t understand this is what I’m supposed to be doing, and this is who I’m supposed to be doing it with,” Killer Mike says, reflecting on the immediate bond Run the Jewels created for him. It was just a moment of feeling refreshed, having fun.” “It’s really unique-the lack of expectations, the magic of us hooking up and making something for no audience. “I don’t think we’ll ever be able to recapture that moment,” El-P admits. In a series of Zoom conversations with Complex-Killer Mike from his home in Atlanta, El-P from his home in Brooklyn-the duo looked back on how it all started. But as everyone involved is quick to admit, the beginning of RTJ was far humbler. It’s a victory lap in a story full of victory laps. Plus, they’ve decided to mark the occasion with blowout anniversary runs in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles come fall. Their first album, the genesis of RTJ, turns 10 this week. ![]() Run the Jewels have a lot to celebrate this year.
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