Coachella 2022: Run the Jewels' Killer Mike says we need to 'fix this country'

Rap duo Run the Jewels didn't feature any special guests during its Sunday afternoon set on the main stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. But the group did tell the decent-sized crowd many times "we love you."

It was the musicians' first performance since last October at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta, and the third time they've played at Coachella. At the 2016 festival, the group was introduced by then-presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Known for promoting social change and revolutionary ideas, Killer Mike (Michael Render) endorsed Sanders during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Render got political at the end of the duo's set after performing "JU$T" and "Close Your Eyes" when he referenced Richard B. Moore, the South Carolina man on death row who recently chose to die by firing squad, and said "I don’t believe in rape, torture and all that kind of stuff, but I also don’t believe in the state unnecessarily killing people." He then added "we’ve got to fix this country" before performing "a few words for the firing squad."

Render and El-P (Jaime Meline) walked out to Queen's "We Are The Champions" before going right into "yankee and the brave (ep. 4)."

The sun was beating down on Meline, who was wearing a black leather vest over a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He offered Render $50 for the shaded side of the stage.

"We're always excited (to appear at Coachella), and we know there's so many amazing people out there," Meline said.

Render acknowledged how the duo's fan base, the "Jewel Runners," is a diverse community featuring different races and walks of life, and he wished a Happy Easter, Happy Passover and a Happy Ramadan to everyone who celebrates. He also mentioned one thing they all have in common.

"Even if they don't smoke (marijuana), when we land in a town and we say where's the 'ooh la la,' they can point us to it, man," Meline said before performing the group's song of the same name.

Towards the middle of the performance, before "Walking in the Snow," Render thanked the Jewel Runners for taking care of one another. Meline tried to get the stage staff's attention, calling for them to throw out some water to their fans. Security staff positioned behind the barricade obliged his request.

Render starred in the 2019 Netflix reality miniseries "Trigger Warning with Killer Mike" where he tried to patronize black businesses only for daily needs, promoted vocational education to elementary school students and adults, convinced the rival Bloods and Crips street gangs to create and market their own brands of soda and started his own micronation.

Run the Jewels was competing with singer-songwriter and Billie Eilish's older sibling FINNEAS, who was performing on the neighboring Outdoor Theatre and had a large crowd. Even though they didn't have the same audience anticipation as their 2016 performance or any guest appearances, the dynamic duo still delivered.

Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2022: Killer Mike of Run the Jewels gets political