Killer Mike and El-P made waves when they formed esteemed rap duo Run The Jewels in 2013.[1] After collaborating on Mike’s fifth studio album R.A.P. Music, the Atlanta rapper and Brooklyn producer joined forces to drop their heralded self-titled debut and its subsequent sequels.[2]
While speaking to Interview magazine, Killer Mike revealed cohort El-P suggested the name, which was inspired by a line in LL Cool J’s “Cheesy Rap Blues.” Slang for “stick up,” Killer Mike wasn’t initially sold on the alias Run the Jewels.[3]
“El came up with the name,” Killer Mike declared. “When he first said it—not that I didn’t get it; it’s actually an old LL Cool J line, which is dope as fuck—but I wasn’t sure. When I sat down and got out of my own way and allowed myself to marinate on that shit—and I knew what it meant on the streets of New York, on the streets period—I thought that was just the most hardcore shit that could be said, that could be heard and it really exemplified the spirit that I brought into making this record. ‘We’re not second to any rapper or producer. We rival all of your idols and we’re going to spend the next 30-some-odd minutes proving that.’”
El-P also spoke more about the significance of their namesake and its ties to their roots and sonic agenda.
“It was also a nod to the record. That was the era that made me and Mike fall in love with rap music. For us, this project is about that. This whole project is really about our love for rap music,” he concluded.
[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20150506091021/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.24486/title.killer-mike-el-p-credit-run-the-jewels-name-to-ll-cool-j-line
[2] Ibid.
[3]https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/run-the-jewels
