run the jewels, also known by the initialism rtj, is an american hip hop duo consisting of rapper/producer el-p and rapper killer mike. they released their acclaimed debut studio album, "run the jewels", as a free digital download in 2013. this was followed by "run the jewels 2" in 2014, which was also praised by critics. their critically acclaimed third album, "run the jewels 3", was released digitally in december 2016 with a physical release the following month.