Killer Mike’s “Detonator” is our song of the week

Every week, Consequence’m The Songs of the Week column examines new music from the last seven days and analyzes notable releases. Find our new favorites and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for more great songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Killer Mike embraces intrigue with a song designed to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

From soulful beats to synth-heavy rhythms, Killer Mike can do it all. Earlier this month, the Grammy winner and Run the Jewels member unveiled a gospel-inspired project called Michael and the Mighty Midnight: Songs for Sinners and Saintswhich serves as an epilogue to his deeply personal 2023 project, MICHELThe signature flow, distinct energy and overall musical imprint he has honed for decades are all over the project.

But now, Killer Mike is returning to the space where many listeners may have first known him. The new song, “Detonator,” was produced by fellow Run The Jewels member and longtime collaborator El-P, whose presence on the song is immediately apparent. Rock D the Legend, also a member of his inner circle, chimes 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 phone this one in, even though it was inspired by the incredibly popular video game franchise. It’s a reminder that great art can come from all sorts of creative starting points, and video games seem to be one of the final frontiers in this regard – award-winning adaptations like The Last of Us contributed to this process of critical reevaluation. But on “Detonator,” Killer Mike and El-P are at their most ’90s, building on a pulsating boom bap foundation that seems particularly appropriate for a game set in that decade.

At first listen, it is clear that the creators of the new Call of Duty The game would have had Killer Mike be the one to come up with a new song; political undercurrents are present in almost all of his work. “You pray for peace and they give you war; you pray for more,” he raps here. With steely synths and that all-encompassing beat that propels the song forward, “Detonator” stretches far beyond the categorical confines of a video game soundtrack.

— Marie Siroky
Associate Editor