El-P Not Cool With Run The Jewels Movie Title
“Run the jewels” is a phrase that you might yell at somebody while committing a robbery. It’s also — and you probably already knew this — the name of a popular rap duo. So it was a bit weird yesterday to read the news that Kevin Hart is producing an action-comedy movie called Run The Jewels for Universal. The movie, from writers Alex Blagg and Neel Shah, “centers on a group of failed rappers who attempt to rob an eccentric hip-hop mogul,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. It would be one thing if this was a How High-style comedy vehicle for Killer Mike and El-P. But sadly, it appears that the Run The Jewels movie has nothing to do with Run The Jewels, the rap group. And at least one member of RTJ is not OK with it.
On Twitter, El-P has made it clear that this proposition is going to cost Universal some money:
excuse me while I go starve a savage pack of lawyers for 7 days.
— el-p (@therealelp) June 21, 2016
@Clarknova1 prolly lost or number. its cool we'll be calling them.
— el-p (@therealelp) June 21, 2016
@Clarknova1 @noz ill be happy with just me being happy in this case.
— el-p (@therealelp) June 22, 2016
Meanwhile, Killer Mike, the guy I’d be more worried about pissing off, has only posted the briefest of statements:
@SameOldShawn WTH 😳
— Killer Mike (@KillerMike) June 22, 2016
The likeliest outcome, I’d imagine, is that the movie will come out under a different title and nobody will get paid. Still, this is some brazen shit.