When was the last time you heard Zack de la Rocha on a song? You know, the dude from Rage Against the Machine. Was it with poet Saul Williams on "Shakespeare"? Or maybe with KRS-ONE and the Last Emperor on "C.I.A."? Now, you can have an updated response if someone asks you that question—the former Rage rocker has teamed with Run the Jewels (aka rappers El-P and Killer Mike) on "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)", the latest single from El and Mike’s forthcoming RTJ2, out October 27.-=-=-=-
Rocha does double-duty on "Close Your Eyes", as his unmistakable voice is looped into El-P’s neck-breaking production. His verse isn’t too shabby either; he name-checks Rakim and nods to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. El and Mike say what you’d expect, with all the face-stomping grit that made Run the Jewels so necessary. Kill a warden, Mike proclaims, especially if it means freedom, "and even if some good ones die/ Fuck it, the Lord'll sort 'em." Of course, Zack’s been on that tip for 20 years. Freedom? Still a lofty goal.
