In August 2013, I witnessed the Run the Jewels put on the best hip-hop show I've ever seen at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Just over a year later at the same venue, I saw them top themselves and set a new bar for live hip-hop performances.
The show opened with an upstart group named Black Heart Broadway. Their sound had a very low-rent feel to it, so it was to my surprise when they said they had collaborated with Killer Mike on their debut EP, which is set for release in early 2015. Black Heart Broadway was on stage for less than 15 minutes and while they weren't insultingly bad, they didn't really do much to convince me to check out their material further.
The main touring lineup kicked off shortly after as Queens-bred MC Despot hit the stage. Despot highly impressed me when he opened for Run the Jewels on their last headlining tour and this time out was no different. His lyrics are excellent and he has a rare flow that allows him to own both intense and melodic beats with ease. Aside from being a great MC, he's also a hilarious dude. Between the deadpan delivery of jokes in-between songs and his trademark mid-set aerobics routine that he makes the audience and his tourmates participate in, there's never a dull moment during a Despot show. I really hope he actually releases his long-delayed collab album with Ratatat in the near future because based on the material he played live, it sounds killer. Despot managed to top the previous time I saw him by a pretty wide margin and is without question in the upper-echelon of live rappers currently in the game.
Ratking hit the stage almost immediately after Despot wrapped up his set. Ratking is the latest in a seemingly endless wave of new hip-hop groups that hail from New York. Just like on record, Ratking's live performaces shows off serious potential but also leaves a lot to be desired. The production from in-house DJ Sporting Life is stellar and serve as the driving force of the group. Their beats range from beautifully abstract to noise-fueled, industrial bangers, which gives them a nice sense of diversity that you don't always find in hip-hop in the present day. Where Ratking struggles is in the inconsistency of the rapping. One part of the duo was absent (i don't know if it was Wiki or Hak), but the remaining one has a bizarre, almost reggae-esque cadence to his rapping that sounds great at times and falls completely flat at others. Ratking is a really young group and they certainly could amount to something noteworthy in the future, but they aren't anything above decent at this point in time.
After a 20 minute changeover, the time had finally come for Run the Jewels to hit the stage. The minute the beat to set opener "Run the Jewels" dropped the entire room exploded into a uncontrollable frenzy. The sold-out crowd was constantly thrashing around and screaming along with just about every song in their hour-long set. The wave of hype Run the Jewels has picked up in hip-hop circles over the past year seems to helped expand their fanbase rapidly. It's great to finally see these two unheralded hip-hop veterans pick up the respect they've wholeheartedly deserved for the last two decades. As for the performance itself, everything was pretty much flawless. Killer Mike and El-P have an incredible rapport together and put 110% into every single verse they spit. Their excellent setlist selections allowed the duo to consistently show off their skills on the mic while also making sure that the room's high-energy level never wavered. Just about every top cut from both of their albums was played, with the anthematic "Sea Legs", explosive banger "36" Chain" and the powerful and incredibly timely anti-police brutality track "Early" standing out from the pack. On top of being excellent rappers, Killer Mike and El-P are two of the most genuinely good dudes you'll find in the music industry They were incredibly gracious to the crowd for giving all their energy and supporting their music and with their frequent wide-smiles and exchanges of daps and hugs, you can tell that they are having a ball on-stage every single night. About the only downside to the set was the choice to close with "A Christmas Fucking Miracle and "Angel Duster". "A Christmas Fucking Miracle" and "Angel Duster" are both good tracks, it's just that their melancholy nature kind of killed the momentum and ended their otherwise relentless set on an anti-climatic note. Run the Jewels' performance was a masterclass in hip-hop showmanship and I can not fucking wait to see them again on their next tour.
Scores:
Black Heart Broadway 5/10
Despot 8.5/10
Ratking 7/10
Run the Jewels 9.5/10
Setlist:
Despot included:
Knock, Knock Who Cares
Home is Where the Hood is
Look Alive
House Made of Bricks
Ratking:
Puerto Rico Judo
Snow Beach
So Sick Stories
Cocoa '88
New Song
Protein
Remove Ya
So It Goes
Fall in Love (Phantogram cover)
Canal
Run the Jewels:
Run the Jewels
Oh My Darling Don't Cry
Blockbuster Night Part 1
Banana Clipper
36" Chain
DDFH
Sea Legs
Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)
Tougher Colder Killer (w/Despot)
Lie, Cheat, Steal
Pew Pew Pew
Early
All Due Respect
Love Again (Akinyele Back)
Get It
A Christmas Fucking Miracle
Encore:
Angel Duster
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