Run the Jewels

History

Killer Mike was first introduced to El-P by Cartoon Network executive Jason DeMarco, in 2011. The following year, El-P produced Killer Mike's album, R.A.P. Music, which was soon followed by Killer Mike's appearance on the track "Tougher Colder Killer" from El-P's Cancer 4 Cure. When R.A.P. Music and Cancer 4 Cure were released within weeks of each other, the two rappers decided to tour together. The success of the tour eventually led to the decision to form Run the Jewels.

On June 26, 2013, Run the Jewels released their self-titled debut, Run The Jewels, on Fool's Gold Records as a free digital download.

Their follow-up record, Run The Jewels 2, was released through Mass Appeal Records on October 24, 2014. A light-hearted remix album composed entirely of cat sounds titled Meow the Jewels was released on September 25, 2015. It features guest production from the likes of Prince Paul, Boots, Geoff Barrow, Zola Jesus, The Alchemist, Just Blaze and others. Proceeds from the album will go entirely to charity. They also announced the release of a traditional remix album of Run the Jewels 2, to be released via Fool's Gold Records in 2015.

Killer Mike revealed that the duo would begin work on Run the Jewels 3 in January 2015. Run the Jewels released an exclusive 12-inch on April 18, 2015 in conjunction with Record Store Day. The record included a new track ("Bust No Moves" feat. SL Jones) in addition to three previously-released songs.

The duo has released a free track as part of the yearly Adult Swim Singles Program every year since 2013, when they released their debut single, "36" Chain", through it. 2014 saw the release of the lead single from Run the Jewels 2, "Oh My Darling Don't Cry", while the non-album single "Rubble Kings (Dynamite on the Street)" was released in 2015. In 2016, the program was once again used to release the lead single from an upcoming album, in this case "Talk to Me" from Run the Jewels 3.

Run the Jewels supported Jack White on January 30, 2015 at Madison Square Garden. In early 2015, it was announced that the band would perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June. In addition to these larger festivals, RTJ also announced performances at the Boston Calling Music Festival, the Big Guava Music Festival, the Pitchfork Music Festival, the Austin City Limits Music Festival, and the Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta, Georgia; Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker was slated to join them. Trackstar the DJ served as Run the Jewels' DJ during their RTJ2 tour.

Run the Jewels 3 was digitally released on December 24, 2016, three weeks prior to its previously announced release date of January 13, 2017. Physical release of the album appeared on January 13 in the United States and January 20 elsewhere.

Tributes

As part of the promotion for Run the Jewels 2, the duo started a "Tag the Jewels" movement encouraging graffiti artists from around the world to tag their rendition of the duo's signature "fist and gun" hand gesture, as featured on all of their album covers. 30 artists were invited to participate in the movement, creating large murals on six continents.

The same "fist and gun" gesture was featured on the covers of several Marvel comic books since 2015. Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso was the driving force behind the gesture's incorporation into variant covers for Deadpool #45, Howard the Duck #2, Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars #1, Black Panther #2, Cage #1 and Doctor Strange/Punisher: Magic Bullets #1 variant.