Every week, Consequence's The Songs of the Week column looks at the best new songs of the past seven days and the most notable releases. Find our new favorites and more in our The best songs on Spotify playlist and other great songs from emerging artists, check out our New Spotify sounds playlist. This week, Killer Mike embraces the plot with a song designed to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Soul beats or synth beats, Killer Mike can handle it all. Earlier this month, the Grammy winner and Run the Jewels member unveiled a gospel-inspired project titled Michael & the Mighty Midnight: Songs for Sinners and Saintswhich acts as an epilogue to his deeply personal project of 2023, MIGUELThe signature flow, distinctive energy, and overall musical imprint he has honed over decades are present throughout the project.
But today, Killer Mike is once again approaching the place where many listeners may have first become familiar with him. The new song, “Detonator,” was produced by his Run The Jewels bandmate and longtime collaborator El-P, whose presence on the song is immediately apparent. Rock D the Legend, also a member of his inner circle, joins in on the chorus. “I knew exactly who to call,” Killer Mike said of the production process.
“Detonator” was actually developed for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6And Mike and El-P certainly didn't sit idly by, even if they did draw inspiration from the incredibly popular video game franchise. It's a reminder that great art can emerge from all sorts of creative starting points, and video games feel like one of the last frontiers in that regard – award-winning adaptations like The last of us They’ve helped in that process of critical reappraisal. But on “Detonator,” Killer Mike and El-P are at their best, with a ’90s vibe, leaning into the throbbing foundation of boom bap that seems especially appropriate for a game set in that decade.
At first glance, it is clear why the creators of the new… Obligations The game would have liked Killer Mike to be the one to introduce a new song; political undertones exist in almost all of his work. “You pray for peace and you get war; you pray for more,” he raps here. With steely synths and that all-encompassing beat that propels the song forward, “Detonator” expands far beyond the categorical confines of the video game soundtrack.
— Maria Siroky
Associate Editor
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