Run The Jewels‘ Saturday night set at Suwannee Hulaween was best described by Killer Mike‘s opening statement when he and El-P took the stage to Queen’s “We Are The Champions.” After stoking the fires of competition by congratulating his University of Georgia Bulldogs on their defeat of the local University of Florida Gators earlier that day, he made their mission clear: “We’re Run The Jewels, and we’re here to fuck shit up, Suwannee!”
And fuck shit up, they did: The conscious hip-hop tag team brought their high-voltage get-down to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park‘s Amphitheatre Stage, and got the crowd so hot they damn near burned the place to the ground. Their mix of political messaging with clever rhymes and spine-shaking beats whipped the crowd into a frenzy over and over again, their energy as performers on a level of its own even among the fine company they kept on the Hula lineup. Needless to say, it was one of the wildest sets of the weekend.
Run The Jewels Bring Politically-Charged Performance To NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert [Watch]
Thanks to videographer Rex Thomson, you can watch their performance at Suwannee Hulaween 2017 in all its take-no-prisoners, take-no-bullshit glory:
“Legend Has It”
“Talk To Me”
“Call Ticketron”
“Oh My Darling (Don’t Cry)”
“Blockbuster Night (Part II)”
“Legend Has It”
“Talk To Me”
“Call Ticketron”
“Oh My Darling (Don’t Cry)”
“Blockbuster Night (Part II)”
Since El-P and Killer Mike linked up as Run The Jewels for their fantastic self-titled 2013 debut, they’ve been a driving force in the ever-growing indie hip-hop scene. The duo has since released two more equally stellar albums–2014’s Run The Jewels 2 and 2017’s Run The Jewels 3–and garnered well-earned clout in the hip hop community and beyond. Before Hula, they had played several mainstream festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo, and even opened for Jack White at Madison Square Garden, but have remained a rarity at jam and electronic-oriented festivals. Judging by the reaction they got from fans, Run The Jewels was a grade-A pick to beef up the eclectic lineup’s hip-hop appeal.
You can stream their latest album, Run The Jewels 3 (2016), below via Spotify:
For more information on their upcoming dates and projects, head to the Run The Jewels website.
[Cover Photo via Live Edits Lab/Suwannee Hulaween]