As Run the Jewels, Michael Render (Killer Mike) and Jaime Meline (El-P) have dominated the indie hip-hop scene with their insane beats and super-human wordplay. After releasing two albums, (aptly titled Run the Jewels and Run the Jewels 2) they continue to put on a rap show that's exactly what it needs to be -- a seemingly unending flurry of mosh pit activity and hands thrown in the air.
That's what Killer Mike and El-P gave the House of Blues Monday night in Dallas. They nearly brought the house down. We knew early on how the night would go, as hands were made to look like pistols and fists in the air while the duo made its intro to "We Are the Champions" by Queen.
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The annotated setlist:
1. "Run the Jewels": The wonderfully titled first track from the first album. The crowd knew what was coming. When the beat dropped, not one person in the room was tapping away on a phone. It was miraculous.
2. "Oh My Darling Don't Cry": One of the highlight tracks from Run the Jewels 2, this song packs a punch every time.
3. "Blockbuster Night Pt. 1": After a lengthy speech from El-P, he introduced the song perfectly: "We're going to make this night a blockbuster night." And the beat rolled in.
4. "Banana Clipper": No, Big Boi didn't make a special appearance for his verse, but RTJ still wrecked it. Fun side note: A look at El-P's Instagram page before the show let us know that Andre 3000 (the other half of Outkast) and his son were in Dallas at the show last night.
5. "'36' Chain": After spotting someone in the crowd with a real 36-inch gold chain, Killer Mike and El-P took the opportunity to get a little inspirational, addressing the crowd: "When you leave here, you'll still be wearing that chain, and only your fellow Jewel Runners will know."
6. "DDFH": While it's not the most positive, inspirational anthem (DDFH stands for "Do Dope, F*** Hope") it was still kind of a blast to scream it with abandon. Plus, it has the type of beat that makes you want to go to Best Buy, pick up a studio mike and start rapping yourself.
7. "Sea Legs": An ocean of swaying arms played this one in. Magic.
8. "Close Your Eyes (And Count to ...)": Despite not having Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha, RTJ knew how to keep it lively. When the track came in with "... this slow-mo," everyone got a bit of an aftershock.
9. "Pew Pew Pew"
10. "Lie, Cheat, Steal": This song started with a dig at America's political agendas and, in particular, Tuesday's planned Democratic debate. It's a radical anthem aimed at exposing listeners to new ideas. All of the Jewels Runners chanted: "Lie, cheat, steal, kill, win, come on! Everybody's doing it."
11."Early (ft. Boots)": This song is especially important to Killer Mike and El-P. They prefaced it by discussing what's happened with Ferguson and other racially charged incidents. "If anyone out here tonight had someone taken from them too damn early, this song is for you."
12. "All Due Respect" and "Love Again (Akinyele Back)": These two tracks sort of blended into each other, but that's totally fine.
13."Get It"
14."A Christmas ... Miracle": This was my first introduction to RTJ a few years back, and if there's any song to demonstrate what they're about, it's this one. Intense, booming and emotional. This isn't joke rap.
Encore, "Angel Duster": The perfect way to close the show.
