After the critical and commercial success of 2012’s R.A.P. Music, Atlanta, Georgia’s Killer Mike and Brooklyn, New York’s El-P are taking it one step further. While Mike already confirmed a follow-up to the album on the Adult Swim imprint, SPIN reveals that for the upcoming works, El-P will be stepping in the vocal booth. Moreover, the pair will be now operating under the guise of a group, called Run The Jewels.

“It’s probably like the hardest shit you can possibly say,” the Company Flow co-founder told SPIN, who also previewed a R.T.J. snippet:

(April 10)

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UPDATE: Yesterday (May 15), El-P revealed Run The Jewels’ believed-to-be self-titled free album’s features. Guests on the effort will include Prince Paul and Big Boi. El-P and Paul worked together during Handsome Boy Modeling School, with the then-Company Flow member appearing in the Handsome Boy’s promotional video, as well as on 1999’s So…How’s Your Girl? and the 2004 follow-up, White People. Big Boi was a mentor to Killer Mike, and the pair worked extensively in the early 2000s, during the height of Purple Ribbon Records.

El’s tweet also confirmed that while he will handle a bulk of the production, co-production duties were executed by Little Shalimar and Wilder Zoby.

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(May 16)

UPDATE #2: Fool’s Gold Records’ publicist has announced a June 29 release date to Killer Mike & El-P’s self-titled debut. Today (June 12), the artwork was also confirmed, along with the tracklist. The songs and sequencing for Run The Jewels are as follows:

1. Run The Jewels
2. Banana Clipper (feat. Big Boi)
3. 36″ Chain
4. DDFH
5. Sea Legs
6. Job Well Done (feat. Until The Ribbon Breaks)
7. No Come Down
8. Get It
9. Twin Hype Back (feat. Prince Paul as Chest Rockwell)
10. A Christmas Fucking Miracle

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(June 12)

UPDATE #3: Killer Mike has announced that his Run The Jewels collaboration with El-P will release three days earlier than previously announced. On Twitter this morning, Mike Bigga confirmed that he is now planning a free release tomorrow, June 26.

(June 25)

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UPDATE #4: Fool’s Gold Records has formally released Killer Mike & El-P’s self-titled album (as Run The Jewels) today. Label founder A-Trak tweeted fans the approved download link. The free album is also soon coming to vinyl release, with other formats potentially:

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