On Wednesday, Run The Jewels delivered their fourth album in RTJ4, one that many are already naming their best thus far. Following its release, Killer Mike and El-P connected with Ebro Darden on Apple Music's Beats 1, taking a moment to reflect on their friendship, the album's creation, and solidifying their hip-hop voices.
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It's clear that Ebro has been enjoying RTJ4, praising every quality from the lyrical imagery to El-P's production, and making sure to let the duo know they're appreciated. "I'm going to say we walked away from this one as friends looking at each other and feeling like we may have done our best work together," says El. "As friends. As people who have met ten years ago but really have only started this journey making music together eight years ago, and I think no matter what the reaction may be, I know we walked away like 'we may have done ourselves justice in terms of what we always wanted to do together."
Ebro also inquires both parties about the importance of developing their voices, deeming them among the most unique in hip-hop. "I'm a student, vocally," explains Mike. "It's easy to tell I'm a student of Ice Cube. From a moral standpoint, Scarface. I'm an admirer of the passion of emcees, as vast as Pac to as clever and bouncy as Biggie. I realized my voice was different when I was a kid, when the older dudes would let me hang around just to goof off and rap for them."
Be sure to catch RTJ4 right here, and for more from Jamie and Mike catch their entire Beats 1 appearance below.