The Inflection Point

About that new Killer Mike album…

“I’ve been down so many times, walked on like a dirty rug – and now that I’ve made it, can’t fake it, gotta give me what I’m truly worthy of” – Killer Mike, 2100 off of RTJ3

It’s these words that mark the world-conquering, in your face abashing, fuck you and your diatribes, king making Run the Jewels – a duo as unlikely, yet coherent as a Scorcese and Di Caprio. Enter Jaime Meline (El-P ) and Michael Render (Killer Mike), two gigantic forces of the underground for almost two decades who have enjoyed unparalleled success as the solidified RTJ duo, releasing four highly acclaimed albums, selling out world tours, dabbling in spin-offs (see the odd, yet quite delightful Meow the Jewels and most recently, a spanish compadre RTJ Cuatro). Run the Jewels have allowed Killer Mike and El-P a platform they always deserved, but never sought – a place to ridicule the Masters without having to give up theirs. There is no volume limit, no after hour curfews or quiet contemplation with this duo – it’s been a “what’re you going to do about it” from the moment El-P asked the question with a sly grin to open the proceeding on RTJ1 “Oh dear, what the fuck do we have here?”

“At some point in the future, they’re going to try to label us a political rap group, and that we are not,” Killer Mike said following the RTJ 2017 NPR Tiny Desk Concert. “We don’t care what party you belong to. We don’t care who you supported. We don’t care what you’re doing tomorrow politically. We care that socially every one of you know you’re absolutely born free and nothing has the right to interrupt that freedom.” It was these few sentences that could summarize an entire decades worth of work from these two – but especially Mr. Michael Render. As a prominent Bernie Sanders supporter in the 2016 and 2020 elections, Killer Mike utilized the RTJ platform to try and revolutionize modern politics as he and El-P had consistently done throughout the last decade and a half. Like the duo themselves, the support was neither quiet or unabrasive.

When was it Killer Mike’s turn though? Despite the RTJ success, he hadn’t released a solo album in over a decade. 2012’s R.A.P. Music; a dynastic, shot out of a cannon project, produced by El-P (the catalyst, it seems, for creating the runaway duo), that attacked and documented everything from prison reform, Reaganomics, America’s drug crisis, and southern black heritages was awe-striking. It was a well acclaimed album that sold very little – a sentiment that rings true from a verse of Hood Politics, a deeper cut from Kendrick Lamar’s award winning 2015 Album To Pimp A Butterfly, “Motherfucker’s want to mention back when Hip-Hop was rapping, well motherfucker if you did then Killer Mike would be platinum.” Killer Mike remained creeping in the underground.

Enter 2023’s Michael, the Magnum Opus, life-story creation from Killer Mike just twelve years overdue. Morseo, Killer Mike cashes in on the last decade of RTJ tour-de-force success, featuring prominent producers and A-list features throughout the track list – a stark, but well welcomed contrast to the underground Datpiff-esq. projects that filled up the boards in the late 2000’s. Andre 3000 is here, along with other Atlanta natives CeeLo Green, Future, Young Thug, 6lack, and 2 Chainz. The result? A stunning capture of the struggles and trials of Mr. Michael Render.

El-P is here too – producing and rapping on a late album highlight that sounds like you could throw it anywhere in the RTJ3 catalog and it would fit right along with the algorithm. But it’s No ID – the same man who recently put in a breathtaking performance on Jay-Z’s similarly styled late career Magnum Opus 4:44, who steals most of the show. No-ID, executive producer, dives deep into the sunny side, gospel production here, cherishing the southern boy roots of Atlanta, Georgia, and highlighting the pain and struggles of Michael Render, and by proxy, what it means to be an African American growing up and creating a lifestyle in the American South.

Highlights on this thing include SHED TEARS, RUN (version including Dave Chappelle – what the hell is up with Dave Chappelle lately? This man has more features in the last 2 years than prime Lil Wayne). The beat switch on TALK’N THAT SHIT is incredible, and the track SLUMMER is a slow burn, leading Killer Mike to be at his most personal and confessional, documenting young love and the abortion of a child all before he really had a chance to be a man – a man that is, without a father himself.

SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS brings a spectacular beat and 3 Stacks verse (more rare at this point than a Jeter rookie card). To me though, the thesis of Killer Mike comes out in SOMETHING FOR JUNKIES. It puts Killer Mike back in his sweet spot; a great song about twisting the eye level of society ever so slightly. Instead of criticizing and shaming his crack-addicted Aunt for all the trauma she’s caused him and his family, Mike meets her on a platform as equals, never scolding or corroding her away, but instead assuring her he loves her all the same, and that he sees her, not as an addict, but as a human being. It’s in these parts where Killer Mike has always shined above the rest, whether its Crown off RTJ2 documenting the other side of drug dealing – the guilt of selling cocaine to a pregnant lady to survive, or my personal favorite, Thursday in the Danger Room, an immaculate cut off the backend of RTJ3 that finds Mike praying and hoping that the man who killed his friend for a chain uses that chain to progress his own life and do good unto others.

This type of selflessness, and perfected writing on slights and stances just ever so askew of society’s views is where Killer Mike thrives. There are some middle album cuts like SPACESHIP VIEWS and EXIT 9 that miss the overall points with its braggadocios writing – but the album comes to an overall standstill and height with MOTHERLESS, a spill all story about Mike’s mother and grandmother dying, and the lasting effects of both of them raising him without a father.

It’s raw. It’s emotional. It verges on the edge of brilliance. When given chances like these, Killer-Mike has proven he will make the best of them – and fuck you if you don’t believe him.

Michael – Killer Mike: 8.1/10