Killer Mike and producer El-P have previously worked together on Mike's R.A.P. Music album, but now the duo are officially joining forces as a rap group called Run The Jewels.
The two have already started to work on their first album under the name Run The Jewels. El-P and Killer Mike spoke on their name choice while talking to SPIN. El-P said of it, "t's probably like the hardest shit you can possibly say."
El-P continued to reveal where the name comes from, "It's kind of a nod to our age. We're dating ourselves with it but one of my favorite turns of that phrase was LL Cool J on "Cheesy Rat" from Mama Said Knock You Out where he says 'Throw ya hands in the air, wave them like you just don't care / Keep 'em there, run the jewels.' Basically it's just some tough sounding shit that can mean a lot. It encapsulates what Mike and I bond over, the era we love."
Unlike their first collaboration on R.A.P. Music, as Run The Jewels both Killer Mike and El-P share time rhyming on the project. The album they are currently working on is expected to be finished this the summer, and ready for release on June 19th.
Killer Mike currently has a lot on his plate. Apart from this joint effort, he's working on three solo projects.
Check out a few photos from Killer Mike and El-P's studio session in Brooklyn with Spin in the gallery above.