RUN THE JEWELS REVIEW

The night after a fantastic Beach House show saw me going to a completely different type of show. The pure energy hip hop was showcased in the form of three bands, two of which are actually worth mentioning in a positive way

Opening the show was a fella named Cuz Lightyear. He had a ton of energy and while it wasn’t something I’m likely to track down on my own, he provided a nice warm up for the main attraction. This is worth noting though. Upon arrival he wore this rather elaborate mask that seemed Kanyeish, and while not overtly rip off material it did make me think of it.

Having earned the crowd's attention and giving back good vibes, Cuz exited and made way for the second act. Now initially i was really pumped because it was supposed to be Bishop Nehru, and while I hadn’t heard his music I had heard some really good things about him. The guy we got, sadly was fucking terrible, and it wasn't even the music. In fact i enjoyed the music, but the lyrics and the general militant nature of the artist was so atrocious that I was basically over it before the first song even started. For instance, starting out your show by telling your audience that rap music isn’t for white people and they aren’t welcome here, is a load of fucking bullshit. Like for real, are you aware half of Run the Jewels is in fact the same race of the people you’re insulting. Even better though was the fact that while he hated on most of the audience he still found time to flirt with a pretty white girl at the merch booth after the set. Fuck that guy. I Sincerely hope his career goes nowhere, which is likely will.

Anyway, after that shitbag of a show, Run the Jewels came out. Sauntering onto the stage to the chorus of Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” the duo dove headfirst into the set. With a pretty even mix of songs from both records they nailed it nearly every way they could. Opening proper with “Run the Jewels,” the energy only went up as they knocked out “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry,” and “Banana Clipper” within the first fifteen minutes. Also worth noting that a good friend in North Carolina saw them awhile back and said that Killer Mike was pretty uninterested, or seemed so at his show, but on this night he was all over the place, rocking hard and clearly having a blast. They both were in fact.


Banter continued and helped keep the energy of the show. Towards the end of the show though, the really began to bring the crazy energy even higher. “Sea Legs” killed harder than it does on record, while “Close Your Eyes(And Count to Fuck)” blistered with the intensity you expect when RTJ teams up with de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine. All in all it was dope as hell, and definitely one of the better hip hop shows I’ve seen in the last seven years or so. If you get a chance, see this act. They know how to throw it down.