I’m a dog person.
Anyone who has ever met me or checked my Internet browsing history, where I’ll end up looking at pictures of puppies for hours on end, would know that about me (shout-out to my dog, Rascal, who will never read this).
With that said, I’ve had difficulties in adapting to the cat-based online world that has become so prevalent.
Keyboard Cat is cool, I guess. But, it’s not because he’s a feline but just a wonderful musician. Grumpy Cat is OK in my book, too. However, if I ever met the legend herself I’d surely get bored and end up looking at dogs on Twitter. Also, I just learned about Lil BUB and I don’t really get the appeal.
Please don’t burn me at the stake, I just need you, the reader, to understand my deep indifference toward cats.
With all of that said, “Meow the Jewels,” the new remix album by hip-hop duo Run the Jewels, is quite possibly the album of the year.
Consisting of rappers El P and Killer Mike, Run the Jewels has become my favorite rap group in recent memory. Its debut album titled “Run the Jewels” and follow-up album aptly called “Run the Jewels 2” were both smash hits. Believe me when I say their music is much more original than their album naming.
The reason “Meow the Jewels” is even a thing is because of a Kickstarter to raise money for the second album. When creating the funding platform, the duo jokingly put in a pre-order package that stated if someone were to donate $40,000, Run the Jewels would remix its album with nothing but cat sounds.
Promptly, a Kickstarter was created for that campaign. It raised more than $65,000 and Run the Jewels’ gag-gift was now a reality.
The Internet is a weird place.
Perhaps the first place we should start is that every song on the album incorporates a cat pun. This album is so up my alley it’s kind of a shame I didn’t think of it.
Songs such as “All Meow Life” (“All My Life”), “Paw Due Respect” (“All Due Respect”) and “Meowpurrdy” (Jeopardy) each add to the overwhelming catness of the album.
Now, let’s get into the songs themselves, which deserve multiple listens.
Someone new produces each song — mostly because listening to cat sounds over and over can make any sane person lose their mind. This creates such splits between each remix, as the respective producers put their own spin on their song.
These songs aren’t just recreated but meddled with in such a way that it creates a new sound. It’s a gag album, but it’s also so good in its innovation. The ingenious lyrics that accompany every Run the Jewels album are still there, but the backdrop is as distinctive as ever.
Meow, that’s what I call music.
Greg Gottfried
