El-P Says Zack De La Rocha is Like a Third Run the Jewels Member, Says “I Wouldn’t Be Surprised if We Fucked Around and Dropped a Run de la Rocha Record”

The fourth Run The Jewels LP is less than four weeks away, according to the renowned hip hop duo consisting of Atlanta rapper Killer Mike and Brooklyn rapper El-P. The two recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the new project and their frequent collaborator Zack de la Rocha, the lead vocalist for Rage Against the Machine.

Photo Credit: Marv Watson

During the interview El-P called the performer “the unofficial third member of Run the Jewels” before adding: “I wouldn’t be surprised if we fucked around and dropped a Run de la Rocha record at some point.” It is unknown whether the duo are serious about the project, or if El-P was simply speaking off the cuff, as the duo are known to make jokes during their interviews.

De la Rocha will appear alongside Pharrell on their upcoming track “Ju$t.” The artist had previously collaborated with Run The Jewels on the songs “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” and “Kill Your Masters” from their second and third LPs respectively. He also made an appearance alongside the two for a live performance of these songs back in 2017. The performer also made cameo appearance in the music video for “Ooh La La,” which held features from DJ Premier and Greg Nice of Nice & Smooth.

In addition to fronting Rage Against The Machine and his Run The Jewels collaborations, de la Rocha has worked with various artists such as DJ Shadow, Trent Reznor and Dan the Automator in the past. These performers were set to be featured on a planned solo album, however this project never received an official release. In 2016 he released a song called “Digging For Windows,”which served as his first new solo track 12 years. In 2008 he teamed up with former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore as One Day as Lion, who released an EP in 2008. They had a brief run of live shows in 2010, and an appearance at Coachella in 2011.

Their first single from the project  “Yankee and The Brave” came out in March. The duo were set to release the album prior to their Coachella appearance this year, however the festival’s postponement amid the COVID-19 pandemic ended those plans.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat