Killer Mike and El-P went full-out gangster on Run the Jewels 2, but he said he's focused on the common man in a recent interview.
"My music is just for that guy that comes home, pours a shot of whiskey, reflects on it all," Mike told NPR. "I think that there is a narrative that's been lost in American culture, but definitely in rap music. It's very consumer-based. It's very narcissistic in a way. But I just want to talk about practical stuff, about regular people, because I think our regular lives are amazing, beautiful things."
How can he do this? Because he seems to lead a life comparable to most dudes trying to piece things together.
"I'm a black man who grew up in America," he said. "I'm a father of four children. They don't all have the same mother. I own a business. I see the societal ills and woes on the news everyday just like you. And rap has given me voice to talk about all these things in a very honest, simplistically complex way."
Mike runs a barbershop with his wife that gets frequented by police officers, and his father was a cop. So it's safe to say he's had a window to the other side of controversial police action.
"It's my responsibility to be a voice of reason of some type," he said. "You know, I have to have empathy. Because I have to understand that these people have a job that, although considered deplorable by the general public sometimes, is necessary to keep people safe. But with that said, you have the responsibility and accountability of doing your job in an honorable way or you should be punished even more harshly than people who aren't. Because if I trust you with the power of human life, your standard has to be much higher."
Run The Jewels 2 was released for free after getting leaked in late October. Despite this, the album sill managed a peak No. 50 spot on the Billboard 200.
