Why are these rappers producing an entire album with only cat sounds?

Since the release of their debut album in 2013, Killer Mike and El-P, the two members of the rap group Run The Jewels, have been kicking a consistent amount of ass. Their most recent album, Run The Jewels 2, received considerable critical acclaim and launched them into the festival circuit. They’re also remixing their album using only cat sounds, announcing yesterday the album will probably be done by September. Really!

Who are they?

Before RTJ, Killer Mike spent most of his time in the Atlanta rap scene, appearing on songs with Outkast in the early 2000’s but generally remaining underground. El-P, too, stayed out of the mainstream for most of his career, first garnering respect for his production in New York in the late ’90s before branching out into rapping. Run The Jewels is the most culturally resonant project either rapper’s been a part of, which is crazy, because it’s essentially unprecedented for two rappers to peak in their late 30s. Understandably, they’re loving every minute of it. From an interview with El-P in Stereogum:

“It’s been the most productive time of my life, and the reason is because it’s been fulfilling on a personal level as well as on a musical level,” El says. “You don’t meet your brother 35 years into your life, usually. I didn’t have a brother when I grew up. And I feel like I got one now. And that’s a fact.”

Okay, so, why did they make an album with cat sounds?

It required some pretty perfect internet synergy. Run The Jewels, for lack of a better term, make rap nerd music—it’s well-produced, there’s an attentiveness to lyricism, and both Killer Mike and El-P are technically gifted. As a result, they’ve become quite popular on the Reddit hip-hop forum /r/hiphopheads, especially after the release of Run The Jewels 2 and the subsequent critical fawning.