With Killer Mike and El-P’s Run The Jewels 2 album slated for late October, the group’s pre-order options for the record include a special “The Meow The Jewels Package” priced at $40,000 on the Daylight Curfew website. For that price, “Run The Jewels will re-record RTJ2 using nothing but cat sounds for music,” according to the site. “You are free to profit from this album in any way you see fit up to 100k in net global profit or 3 years (whichever comes first).”
Still, like some of the other deluxe package offerings, the page notes that the group “reserves the right to take your money and not fulfill any of its obligations as outlined in any package priced at 35k or more.” Nonetheless, a Kickstarter campaign to raise the required $40,000 to fund the Meow The Jewels Package was established less than a day after the preorder packages went live and has since raised more than $10,000.
Speaking with Noiseyabout the news, El-P admitted to being high while writing the pre-order deal and has confirmed that he will follow through with the terms and remix the album if the Kickstarter campaign is successful. “I must clarify: I was very stoned when I wrote those,” he said.
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Despite the light-hearted nature of the campaign, El-P has announced that he will donate any of his own profits from the package to the families of Mike Brown and Eric Garner.
“[When incidents like this happen,] everyone gets really, really into it for maybe a week, and then it kind of just gets brushed away, but some things you can’t just brush away.” El-P told Noisey. “If you’re given the sacrosanct honor of being one of the few people in this society who are allowed to legally take somebody’s life, then you have to be held to a standard that is so far above the average citizen’s standard that it’s almost impossible to achieve with any type of leeway.”
Killer Mike voiced his own surprise at the success of the Kickstarter page, saying, “I can’t believe those crazy fucking bastards are doing it. If they actually pull it off, we’re going to actually do it. I’m overwhelmed by it. On one front, it’s wild and silly. On another front, it shows the power of independence.”
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The architect of the Kickstarter page, Sly Jones, told Noisey that the campaign was initially meant as a joke.
“I was like, you know, for shits and giggles, I’ll post [a Kickstarter],” he said. “It just kind of went crazy after that. I didn’t even get any sleep last night.”
El-P has also acknowledged the rapid funding for the project on Twitter.
the only thing serious about @MeowTheJewels is that if it happens the money goes to a good place. and rap with cat sounds.
— el-p (@therealelp) September 18, 2014
if you’re looking for a reward from @MeowTheJewels other than being a part of something hilarious that might actually help people calm down.
— el-p (@therealelp) September 18, 2014
that said if you see me in the street while you are walking your cat ill autograph it for you.
— el-p (@therealelp) September 18, 2014
the funny shit is y’all haven’t even heard #RTJ2 yet. when you hear this thing you will know how demented @MeowTheJewels could be.
— el-p (@therealelp) September 18, 2014
only $94 from the 9k mark. i don’t even know meow this is happening. https://t.co/X251yy5I9M …
— el-p (@therealelp) September 19, 2014
.@ThoughtMarker@KillerMikeGTO yep. with a live catchestra too. 16 piece. hard to travel with but worth it.
— el-p (@therealelp) September 19, 2014
