RTJ4

RTJ4 is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels. It was released digitally through their own Jewel Runners imprint via BMG Rights Management on June 3, 2020, two days earlier than scheduled, with physical editions slated for release in September 2020. As with their previous albums, a download of the album is available for free through their website, with the option of paying for it via other digital providers. The album features guest appearances from Greg Nice, DJ Premier, 2 Chainz, Pharrell Williams, Mavis Staples, Josh Homme, and frequent collaborator Zack de la Rocha.

RTJ4
Studio album by Run the Jewels
Released	June 3, 2020 (2020-06-03)
Studio	Chicago (Chicago) Electric Lady ProductoMart The Space Pit (New York City) Shangri-La (Malibu) Tree Sound (Atlanta)
Genre	Hip hop[1][2]
Length	38:57
Label	Jewel Runners BMG
Producer	El-P Josh Homme
Run the Jewels chronology
Run the Jewels 3 (2016) RTJ4 (2020)
Singles from RTJ4
"Yankee and the Brave (Ep. 4)" Released: March 22, 2020 "Ooh La La" Released: March 25, 2020 "Just" Released: June 14, 2020

RTJ4 received widespread acclaim from critics and debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200, their first top 10 album on the chart. The album was supported by three singles: "Yankee and the Brave (Ep. 4)", "Ooh La La", and "Just".

Background

The album was first announced on October 11, 2018, with the release of the non-album single "Let's Go (The Royal We)", which was featured in the 2018 superhero film Venom and debuted on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show.[3]

Release

The original album release date was June 5, 2020. Due to the ongoing protests against police brutality sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, the duo decided to release it two days early.[4] The accompanying note read:

Fuck it, why wait. The world is infested with bullshit so here's something raw to listen to while you deal with it all. We hope it brings you some joy. Stay safe and hopeful out there and thank you for giving 2 friends the chance to be heard and do what they love. With sincere love and gratitude, Jaime + Mike.[4]

Singles

The album's first single, "Yankee and the Brave (Ep. 4)", was released on March 22, 2020.[5] The album's second single, "Ooh La La" featuring Greg Nice and DJ Premier, was released on March 25, three days later.[6] The music video for "Ooh La La" was released on April 27, 2020.[7] "Just" featuring Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha, was sent to alternative radio as the third single on June 14, 2020.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Album of the Year	90/100[9]
AnyDecentMusic?	8.8/10[10]
Metacritic	89/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
And It Don't Stop	A+[13]
Clash	9/10[14]
Exclaim!	9/10[15]
Financial Times	[16]
The Independent	[17]
NME	[1]
Pitchfork	8.3/10[18]
Rolling Stone	[19]
The Times	[20]

RTJ4 was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 89, based on 26 reviews.[11] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[10] Album of the Year assessed the critical consensus as 90 out of 100, based on 31 reviews.[9]

Will Lavin of NME praised the album, stating, "Easily Mike and El-P's best work to date, RTJ4 is protest music for a new generation; they're armed in the uprising with a torrent of spirited rallying calls."[1] Reviewing the album for Rolling Stone, Jon Dolan stated, "RTJ4, which the band rush-released a few days ahead of schedule, is laser-focused. [...] Mike unloads on racist cops, systemic poverty, corporate media, and other eternal enemies. But the album never feels preachy, because the music bounces as much as it brays, with an elastic flow and deep history."[19] Jack Bray of The Line of Best Fit wrote, "RTJ4 is Killer Mike & El-P's masterstroke. This is musical evolution for moral, social and political revolution, the group now creating anthems in the pursuit of tolerance, respect and unity."[2] Channing Freeman from Sputnikmusic also enjoyed the album, saying, "As is typical on Run the Jewels albums, every feature is perfectly placed, but the inclusion of Mavis Staples and Josh Homme may be El-P's finest production moment yet. Homme's ghostly wailing and questing guitar provide a backdrop for Staples to sing an image that perfectly distills not only RTJ's oeuvre but the bloody centuries of America's history."[21] For Pitchfork, Sheldon Pearce wrote that "RTJ4 centers protest music less explicitly than RTJ3 did, but the moments when the album is most pronouncedly in active revolt are still when it feels most essential".[18]

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic gave a positive review, stating, "RTJ4 distills the anger and frustration of the people through Run the Jewels' hard-hitting, no-nonsense revolution anthems. Trim with no filler, this fourth set from the outspoken duo provides relevant history lessons that are more useful than a classroom textbook."[12] Exclaim! critic Kyle Mullin said of El-P, "The New York rapper-producer's greatest contribution to RTJ4 is his vivid and varied sonic backdrops. His on-point production offers the lyrically superior Killer Mike both space and sonic support as he rises to new heights of artistry and activism, making El-P the kind of ally worth emulating."[15] Mike Mullin of Clash said, "RTJ4 is a must listen. It is diverse enough to appeal to even the hardest crowds. Many genres are represented here, but lyrical hip-hop is at the forefront of all that Run the Jewels is. They stand out from the crowd, whilst invoking the people to stand up for themselves. There is not a bad song on the entire album and the production and features are second to none."[14]

In his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau applauded the "vigor" of the duo's political direction and the lyrics as their "sharpest" yet, while declaring, "With trap on its opiated treadmill, the gangsta sonics that power El-P and Killer Mike's inchoate aggressiveness will feel tonic to anyone with both an appetite for music and a political pulse."[13]

Accolades

Accolades for RTJ4

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Complex	Complex's Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	14	[22]
Consequence of Sound	Consequence of Sound's Top 25 Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	3	[23]
Entertainment Weekly	Entertainment Weekly's Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	N/A	[24]
Exclaim!	Exclaim!'s 33 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	3	[25]
Paste	Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	7	[26]
Rolling Stone	Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	N/A	[27]
Slant Magazine	Slant Magazine's Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	N/A	[28]
Stereogum	Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	4	[29]
Uproxx	Uproxx's Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	8	[30]
Variety	Variety's Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	N/A	[31]

Commercial performance

RTJ4 debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard 200 with 38,000 album-equivalent units (including 30,000 pure album sales) from just two days of tracking, marking the duo's first top 10 album on the chart.[32]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by El-P, and co-produced by Little Shalimar and Wilder Zoby, except where noted.[33]

RTJ4 track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Yankee and the Brave (Ep. 4)"	Jaime Meline Michael Render Torbitt Schwartz Wilder Zoby Schwartz		2:26
2.	"Ooh La La" (featuring Greg Nice and DJ Premier)	Meline Render T. Schwartz W. Schwartz Keith Elam^[c] Christopher Martin^[c] Darryl Barnes^[c] Greg Mays^[c]		3:01
3.	"Out of Sight" (featuring 2 Chainz)	Meline Render Tauheed Epps Leon Sylvers^[d] T. Schwartz W. Schwartz		3:21
4.	"Holy Calamafuck"	Meline Render Philip Thomas Dave Sitek T. Schwartz W. Schwartz Jordan Asher Cruz	El-P Sitek^[a] Boots^[a] Little Shalimar^[b] Wilder Zoby^[b]	3:58
5.	"Goonies vs. E.T."	Meline Render T. Schwartz W. Schwartz	El-P Little Shalimar^[a] Wilder Zoby^[a] Nick Hook^[b]	3:03
6.	"Walking in the Snow"	Meline Render T. Schwartz W. Schwartz Lola Mitchell		3:55
7.	"Just" (featuring Pharrell Williams and Zack de la Rocha)	Meline Render Williams de la Rocha T. Schwartz W. Schwartz		3:25
8.	"Never Look Back"	Meline Render T. Schwartz W. Schwartz Hugh Anthony Allison		2:57
9.	"The Ground Below"	Meline Render T. Schwartz W. Schwartz David Geoffrey Allen^[e] Hugo Burnham^[e] Andrew Gill^[e] Jonathan King^[e]		2:32
10.	"Pulling the Pin" (featuring Mavis Staples and Josh Homme)	Meline Render Homme Cruz T. Schwartz W. Schwartz	El-P Homme Little Shalimar^[a] Wilder Zoby^[a] Boots^[b]	3:37
11.	"A Few Words for the Firing Squad (Radiation)"	Meline Render T. Schwartz W. Schwartz Matt Sweeney	El-P Sweeney^[a] Little Shalimar^[a] Wilder Zoby^[a]	6:42
Total length:				38:57

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer
• All track titles are stylized in all lowercase, except for "Just", which is stylized as "JU$T"; and "Goonies vs. E.T.", which is stylized as "goonies vs. E.T."
• "A Few Words for the Firing Squad (Radiation)" includes the hidden track "Theme Music", listed in the album's credits as a separate track with identical credits.

Samples

• ^{^[c]} "Ooh La La" contains elements and a sample of "DWYCK", written by Keith Elam, Christopher E Martin, Greg Mays, and Darryl Otis Barnes, and performed by Gang Starr featuring Nice & Smooth.
• ^{^[d]} "Out of Sight" contains elements and a sample of "Misdemeanor", written by Leon Sylvers III and performed by Foster Sylvers.
• ^{^[e]} "The Ground Below" contains elements of "Ether", written by David Geoffrey Allen, Hugo Burnham, Andrew Gill, and Jonathan King, as performed by Gang of Four.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's digital booklet.[33]

Run the Jewels

• El-P – performance (all tracks), additional string arrangements (11)
• Killer Mike – performance (all tracks)

Additional musicians

• Trackstar the DJ – scratches (1, 3, 4, 8)
• David Ferguson – additional vocals (1)
• DJ Premier – scratches (2)
• 2 Chainz – performance (3)
• Cutty Ranks – performance (4)
• Z-Kicks – performance (4)
• Theron "Uptown AP" Thomas – additional vocals (4)
• Kaushlesh "Garry" Purohit – tabla (4)
• Stuart Bogie – tenor saxophone (5)
• Cutmaster Swiff – scratches (5)
• Gangsta Boo – performance (6)
• Pharrell Williams – performance (7)
• Zack de la Rocha – performance (7)
• Nicholas Ryan Gant – additional vocals (7)
• Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire – performance (8)
• Josh Homme – performance (10)
• Mavis Staples – performance (10)
• Matt Sweeney – performance (11), additional vocals (11), guitar (11)
• ASAP Ferg – performance (11), additional vocals (11)
• Jeremy Wilms – string arrangements (11)
• Dana Lyn – violin (11)
• Danton Boller – bass guitar (11)
• Cochemea Gastelum – tenor saxophone (11)

Engineers

• Leon Kelly – recording
• Kaushlesh “Garry” Purohit – recording
• Taylor Jackson – recording
• Dylan Neustadter – recording
• Carl Bespolka – recording
• Nick Hook – recording
• Mat LeJeune – recording
• Jonathan Lackey – recording assistance
• Joey Raia – mixing
• Joe LaPorta – mastering
• El-P – executive production

Artwork

• El-P – art direction
• Tim Saccenti – art direction, photography
• Smartbomb.net – layout, design
• Nick Gazin – lettering, font design

Charts

Chart performance for RTJ4

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[34]	25
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[35]	73
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[36]	18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[37]	189
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[38]	8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[39]	52
Irish Albums (OCC)[40]	17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[41]	11
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[42]	38
Scottish Albums (OCC)[43]	26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[44]	32
UK Albums (OCC)[45]	18
US Billboard 200[46]	10
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[47]	7
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[48]	7

Release history

Release dates and formats for RTJ4

Region	Date	Label(s)	Format(s)	Ref.
Various	June 3, 2020	Jewel Runners BMG	Digital download streaming	[49]
	September 2020		CD	[50]

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