The Run the World Tour was a

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

by the American hip hop duo

Run the Jewels Run the Jewels, also known by the initials RTJ, is an American hip hop super-duo composed of Brooklyn-based rapper and producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike. They released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut studio album ...

, in support of their album ''

Run the Jewels 3 ''Run the Jewels 3'' is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels, which consists of rappers El-P and Killer Mike. It was self-released through their Run the Jewels, Inc. imprint via RBC Records digitally on December 24, 201 ...

'' (2016). The tour began on January 11, 2017 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and finished on November 16, 2017 in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland. Initial shows were announced in North America on November 1, 2016 and thereafter extended to Europe in March 2017.

Background

On November 1, 2016,

announced on social media that they would be going on tour, additionally releasing the dates for the first leg. The tour would be initially going around the United States and Canada at 33 locations, which would begin on January 11, 2017 in

and end on February 25, 2017 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The tour was to concur in support with the duo's then-upcoming album ''

'', and would feature Cuz Lightyear,

The Gaslamp Killer William Benjamin Bensussen (born November 7, 1982), better known by his stage name The Gaslamp Killer, is an American alternative hip hop producer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. Career He grew up in San Diego, California, where he bec ...

, and

Spark Master Tape Spark Master Tape is the pseudonym of an anonymous rapper. He has released five mixtapes since 2012 with an announced sixth tape releasing sometime in the future. These albums have garnered interest from blogs and music websites such as ''Mass App ...

for the opening acts. General ticket sales for the tour began on November 4, 2016. Extended touring dates were added after the announcement and early during the tour itself. On January 3, 2017, El-P announced

Gangsta Boo Lola Chantrelle Mitchell (born August 7, 1979), better known by her stage name Gangsta Boo, is an American rapper, who was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She was the second female member (after K-9) of the Memphis-based hip hop group Thr ...

and Nick Hook would be joining the tour. On January 11, 2017, the duo announced a spring European tour starting in United Kingdom and ending in Denmark for March, April, and June with tickets going up on January 20. On June 20, 2017, the duo announced additional dates for North America and Europe for October and November, with pre-sale tickets beginning on June 14, 2017. Additionally,

Denzel Curry Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Carol City, Florida, Curry started rapping while in the sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape in 2011. Influenced by underground Flo ...

and Cuz Lightyear would be joining the North American dates while

Danny Brown Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known by his stage name Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He has been described by MTV as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory". In 2010, after amassing ...

would join the European dates. On June 23, 2017, the duo announced extended touring dates for the United Kingdom for November.

Critical reception

Both the North American and European legs of the tour have generally received positive reviews. For the ''

Miami New Times The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami area and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District. Overview It was acquired by Village Voic ...

'', Angel Melendez reviewing the Miami concert voiced that "The interplay between

El-P Jaime Meline (born March 2, 1975), better known by the stage name El-P (shortened from his previous stage name El Producto), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Starting his career as a member of Company Flow, he has been a ...

and

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, actor, and activist. Mike made his debut on Outkast's 2000 LP '' Stankonia'', and later appeared on their Grammy-winning single "T ...

is flawless. They weave in and out of each other’s verses and have even perfected a bit of choreography, bouncing and hopping in sync to the rhythm of each other’s words". David Harris of ''Spectrum Culture'' commented that although "Run the Jewels is different than most rap music because it keeps it political" keeping away from other topics and "Energy aside, it’s difficult to call the concert a success. When the booming bass and strobing lights undercut the most important thing, the music...". Mark Beaumont of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' rated the duo's performance four out of five stars, expressing "Their cool-cop/goofball-cop act is perfectly, and powerfully, weighted. ... Joking aside, RTJ are the hip-hop clowns becoming politico princes."

Set list

This set list is for the show on January 11, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour. #"Talk to Me" #"

Legend Has It "Legend Has It" is a song by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels. It was released as the third single from their third studio album, ''Run the Jewels 3'' (2016), on December 2, 2016. The track samples the song “Knots” by English progressive r ...

" #"Call Ticketron" #"Blockbuster Night, Part 1" #"Oh My Darling Don't Cry" #"

Nobody Speak "Nobody Speak" is a song by American hip hop producer DJ Shadow, featuring rap verses from American rap duo Run the Jewels. The song was first a part of Run the Jewels' Record Store Day release, which was a virtual reality cardboard viewer that ...

" (

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sh ...

cover) #"Hey Kids" #"Stay Gold" #"Don't Get Captured" #"Panther Like a Panther" #"Everybody Stay Calm" #"Love Again (Akinyele Back)" #"Lie, Cheat, Steal" #"Early" #"A Report to the Shareholders" #" Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)" #"Down" ;Encore #"Kill Your Masters" #"Run the Jewels"

Background

Critical reception

Set list

Shows

Notes

References

External links