He White, But He DOPE!: El-P & Killer Mike - "Banana Clipper" (Run The Jewels)

Rapping friends El-P & Killer Mike already produced one critically-acclaimed joint album together last year, R.A.P. Music. But it seems like they've made their Hip-Hop group a little more official - That's now been re-christened Run The Jewels and are currently nearing completion of a second record; Sounds like El-P's decided to step out from behind the boards and back onto the mic this go-round, too. After a few solid months-worth of vague teasers, El-P uploaded an 84-second snippet of "Banana Clipper" to his Soundcloud Tuesday afternoon. It's a short but sweet sampling of what Run The Jewels upcoming album might sound like, which is rumored for a Summertime release. El-P's also busy writing/recording new music along with Nick Diamonds (Islands) that they're calling Stepson, and possibly working with Big Boi/T.I.


Killer Mike, on the other hand's about to head out on a MASSIVE 40+ date tour with frequent collaborator, Big Boi. Tom Breihan quite fittingly describes his "Villain[ous]" new track as "rapping from a super-powered bad guy standpoint over a stormy synthetic Goth-churn," which will be featured on DC Comics' new video game, Injustice: Gods Among Us. The Shoes for Running Tour kicks off on April 18th in Georgia and runs through early July (Boston). Stay tuned for further Run The Jewels release details and in the meantime, check out Killer Mike/El-P's latest solo albums, R.A.P. Music and Cancer 4 Cure. Killer Mike later lamented on Twitter, "For all y'all that wanna hate on my man James Todd Smith, remember he inspired #RUNTHEJEWELS, the best thing for race relations ever!" seemingly in reference to Brad Paisley & LL Cool J's controversial single, "Accidental Racist."