VINYL REVIEW: Run The Jewels – ‘Run The Jewels’ (Deluxe European Edition)

January 15th, 2014

Brian Leak

Artist: Run The Jewels
Album: Run The Jewels
Label: Fool’s Gold, Big Dada
Original Release Date: June 26, 2013

My introduction to Killer Mike was originally in the video for Outkast’s “The Whole World” sometime back around 2001 but I unfortunately slept on El-P for some time until I saw him featured in Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire’s excellent remix video for “The Last Huzzah” along with Despot, Danny Brown and Das Racist. So naturally, after spinning Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music countless times, finding out that El-P had handled the production entirely himself, then discovering that the two emcees had come together to form Run The Jewels, I was ecstatic.

Last summer, Run The Jewels released their 10-track debut for free and it eventually became my favorite hip-hop release of 2013. There was no bullshit filler or skits, just 10 directly-to-the-point bangers from two of the best in the game. At the time, I was in the developing stages of acquiring vinyl and starting a collection so I was too late to get a copy that was released through Fool’s Gold but luckily for myself, and many others, European label Big Dada announced that they would be releasing a deluxe version of their own with new artwork and some special extras. Those special extras came in the form of a 12″ C/D-side with a bonus track, remixes and instrumentals that parallel the original release perfectly.

Pressing Info

This is the deluxe European edition of Run The Jewels via Big Dada. It is a double LP release cut at 33RPM and pressed on clear vinyl with green and black splatter. It was announced for pre-order late last year and released this past Monday, January 13 with several bundle options available through the label’s store ranging from £5.00 to £45.00. The LP + 12″ version that we’re currently reviewing was priced at £22.00 which is roughly $36 and $42 shipped to the US.

The amount of this edition pressed is currently unknown but we will update this with the appropriate information if and when it does become available.

Packaging & Presentation

I’m thoroughly impressed with everything that went into this release through Big Dada. I already loved the original artwork and I think I probably still like the “zombie” art more than the “skeleton” re-work but I really love that they decided to include alternate artwork with this version. The entire gatefold inside and out looks really good. The colors are vibrant and the art design is excellent. I like the inside-jacket art most of all. (You can view it all below in the images provided). Opting to use black vinyl sleeves as opposed to the standard white was also a smart choice as white sleeves would have completely clashed with the rest of the layout.

Included inside was a really nice 3-panel fold-out lyric and credits sheet which definitely made you feel like you were getting something more out of this deluxe version. There is also a reflective sticker on one of the protective LP sleeves with a digital download code for the entire release as opposed to the standard card that is typically included with most vinyl releases. And to top it off, a couple stickers were thrown in with the package as well.

Both of the discs themselves are pressed on a kind of foggy clear wax with thick green and black splatter that almost looks as if it was drawn on with Sharpies that were running out of ink. It doesn’t necessarily match the artwork which is primarily red, black, and gold but it still looks really good in contrast to the art. My only real complaint is that the splatter is rather minimal. There are large sections of the discs that have little or no splatter at all which feels like somewhat of a missed opportunity to have given it a much fuller look. This is really just a minor issue noted by a picky collector, though. I feel that if you’re going to choose to use a splatter variant that you should make it as appealing as possible, but regardless of splatter volume, the discs still look really cool.

Sound Quality

I have a good feeling that I’m going to wear out all 4 sides of this release. I already loved listening to Run The Jewels through headphones and on my computer but between the clarity on the vinyl and the already killer production from El-P, this release just sounds amazing through a proper system. I’m a sucker for hip-hop instrumentals as well so to have those 3 on the d-side is such a great bonus and as a huge fan of Blue Sky Black Death, I couldn’t have been more excited to learn that they had taken the reins on a remix included on this version. The entire effort sounds as good as you could hope for.

Wrap-Up

I’m thrilled to own a copy of Run The Jewels at all and as I missed out on the initial color run of the album through Fool’s Gold, I’m thankful that Big Dada picked up a second round and included some killer extras. The remixes and instrumentals are awesome and this entire package really does the album justice. There are still a lot of bundle options available for purchase through Big Dada’s NinjaTune shop, so if you’re like me and missed out on the original run or just want to own this version as well, I’d suggest taking advantage of it while the opportunity is still available. Any fan of Killer Mike or El-P, or even just hip-hop in general, should definitely consider owning a copy of Run The Jewels.

Click the photos to enlarge them.