Sunday Music: Never Forget In The Story Of Jesus The Hero Was Killed By The State (New Run The Jewels)

Run The Jewels released a powerful and timely new album this week. See Killer Mike’s verse from “Walking in the Snow” below:

The way I see it, you’re probably freest from the ages one to fourAround the age of five you’re shipped away for your body to be storedThey promise education, but really they give you tests and scoresAnd they predictin’ prison population by who scoring the lowestAnd usually the lowest scores the poorest and they look like meAnd every day on evening news they feed you fear for freeAnd you so numb you watch the cops choke out a man like meAnd ’til my voice goes from a shriek to whisper, “I can’t breathe”And you sit there in the house on couch and watch it on TVThe most you give’s a Twitter rant and call it a tragedyBut truly the travesty, you’ve been robbed of your empathyReplaced it with apathy, I wish I could magicallyFast forward the future so then you can face itAnd see how fucked up it’ll beI promise I’m honest, they coming for youThe day after they comin’ for meI’m readin’ Chomsky, I read BukowskiI’m layin’ low for a weekI said somethin’ on behalf of my peopleAnd I popped up in WikileaksThank God that I’m covered, the devil can smotherAnd you know the evil don’t sleepDick Gregory told me a couple of secrets before he laid down in his graveAll of us serve the same masters, all of us nothin’ but slavesNever forget in the story of Jesus, the hero was killed by the state

RTJ4 is easily their most accessible and also most provocative work. Here’s the song, the whole album is well worth your time.