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Editorial Reviews
2012 album from the independent Rap icon. Cancer For Cure marks his first full length rap album since 2007's critically acclaimed I'll Sleep When Your Dead. The album takes another huge leap forward from the production work of his 2010 instrumental album. Weareallgoingtoburninhellmeggamixxx with a bombastic collision of synths, bottomless bass tones, live instrumentation, ear-worming melody, and tightly coiled drum patterns, setting the standard for hip hop production higher than ever. The obvious diversion from the previous album is the presence of EL-P's ever-developing vocal style, continuing to raise the bar on his already highly verbose flow that swiftly and muscularly navigates a rapid fire explosion of syllabic conundrums and quick-witted elocutions full of heart, purpose, style, and grit. Rounded out by feature appearances by a host of high profile guests including Killer Mike, Danny Brown, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, Paul Banks, and more this will easily be one of the year's most talked about albums.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Among my friends, the appreciation for EL-P's work seems to be arranged in the reverse order of his release dates, with Funcrusher Plus on top and (not including this one) ISWYD on bottom. However, I always resented that dichotomy, because I thought Funcrusher was symptomatic of merging the late 90's era of dark/serious lyrical rap with doses of the comedic "ignorant rap" that was able to thrive prior to 1995 (IE: The Afros, Arsonists, early Gravediggaz, Boogiemonsters, Pharcyde, and anyone else rapping about sudo-fantasy scenarios with tons of skits and goofy voices and stuff). I basically felt that Fantastic Damage improved on the Co Flow aesthetic, and that ISWYD improved on the Fan Dam formula without changing it. Well, this time I sort of agree with my friends, at least in the sense that I cannot easily place Cancer 4 Cure above his previous solo albums. Please note, that in no way do I consider this a sub-par album, because I am a huge EL-P fan and I think his work still stands head-and-shoulders above any of the surviving artists from the school of lyrical rap (that should be redundant, but unfortunately rap is no longer focused on quality or quantity of lyrics). I wish I could say he is at the forefront of the re-emergence of lyrical rap, but despite the re-emergence part being true, he is not at the forefront of it (as of right now), except in my mind because I think EL-P, Black Thought, Aesop Rock, Busdriver (arguably in a genre of his own), and Del the Funky Homosapien are the most skilled lyricists who remained active throughout the rise and fall of the lyrical (formerly known as "East Coast") style of rap.
So, what the heck am I saying about this album? Well, compared to anything like it (as if) by any other artist, it totally destroys everything, as far as the skilled vocal and beat delivery. However, there are some notable distinctions from his prior work. First off, the level of the vocals in the mix: EL-P has faced a fair amount of criticism (at least among my friends) for burying his vocals too low in the mix. As if to respond to this, he now has the vocals shoved WAY up in your face. If you think I am exaggerating, just turn your volume to 1/4 for the 2-6 track and you will notice that you can only hear tid-bits of the beat trying to lurk around his overpowering vocal. Not only is the vocal very loud especially in the front end of the album, but that half is also a touch more angry and (arguably) shouty (maybe it just seems that way because of the mix, etc.).
Again, don't attack me yet; we all love EL-P, and I'm not dissing this album. It is tough to turn anyone on to this, unless they have followed the evolution of hip-hop from it's goofy 80's bounce, through the forceful rock textures of Rick Rubin's beats and the emergence of gangster rap, into the ricochet influence that led New York into a much darker and more violent sound, through the emergence of Southern rap, which led to the current state of predominately less lyrical "blog rap." If you followed all that, then I can play this for you without preface, otherwise for people basically just checking in, I feel the need to explain why this dude is lobbing a million angry words a minute into your earhole. That is funny to me, as a child of the 80s/90s who previously grew accustomed to defending EL-P's beats to people who loved the lyrical approach but didn't get everything else El-P did when he was not aiming for throw-back moments.
So, what else is different here? I do not agree with Pitchfork.com calling this a reinvention along the lines of Portishead "3." The style/approach changes here are mostly subtle. The vocals are turned up, he lets the beats play out uninterrupted more often (as opposed to stacking a million sampled sound snippets in every open space), and due to less excursions it feels like a shorter and more cohesive unit. In no way does this album feel cobbled together in the cut-and-paste way his last two did. At that time he seemed to just be decorating around the centerpiece of his "bangers." Also, there are some other notable differences in the design, he placed all his guest rappers dead center of the album on two back-to-back posse cuts (basically showing-off his tour-mates, with the exception of Danny Brown's awkward disposable verse, compared to Despot and Exquire's more essential verses), rather than his old approach of sprinkling as many emcees from the DefJux roster as possible in every nook and cranny (though he does utilize a couple of Camu Tao samples). In keeping with a move he made on ISWYD, he does have a couple of songs featuring indie-rock-based vocalists, one from Interpol (although I cannot tell which song without looking up the credits), and a more noticeable appearance by the Islands singer late in the album on "Stay Down" (a stand-out track, for me). This time the indie singers appear in a more fleeting way, and the majority of the album is raw EL-P with an album intro and outro, but not a ton of twists and turns. Basically this is Jaime (that's his name) in his rawest form.
How much you like this depends on what you compare it to. It works well as a companion to Killer Mike's new album (produced by EL-P), because even though this is a version of EL-P that is less mean-spirited, Killer Mike works a lot harder to infuse a heart-and-soul aesthetic rather than the non-stop aggressive and heavy-hearted "fight music" EL-P aims for. El has a grim outlook, while Mike remains more hopeful and presents himself as a family man who's minor gun talk comes off as protective. However, I miss the vocals being buried in the mix more so that the beats bang up front more, and I miss the intro-to-the-intro-of-the-intro approach that led his last two albums to be more detailed with samples like Paul's Boutique. Instead, this is a VERY strait-forward album for El, where his use of vocal effects (vocoder, pitch shifter, etc.) do not replace or come off as samples, although they seem to be aiming for that niche, his beats are given more breathing room in those spots, and his harsh tone is so raw at times that it's almost rapid-fire spoken word. However, do not let this distract you from buying it. Comparing a genius to himself is always more nit-picky than comparing them to any of the idiots they dwarf in the current industry.
Get this, then go get his other three albums I mention...actually, you probably already have them. If not, then I'm impressed you just now stumbled on this guy and he didn't scare you off. These days it's easier to sell people on his (now very current-sounding) beats. There are just not a lot of rappers out right now who are employing this barking-dog aesthetic. Judging by the sound of the second half of this album where his tone mellows, and his themes are less "rapey" than his usual B-side antics, even EL-P might not be wearing his barking-dog mask for a lot longer. Get it, get barked at, be scared. It's fun!
So, what the heck am I saying about this album? Well, compared to anything like it (as if) by any other artist, it totally destroys everything, as far as the skilled vocal and beat delivery. However, there are some notable distinctions from his prior work. First off, the level of the vocals in the mix: EL-P has faced a fair amount of criticism (at least among my friends) for burying his vocals too low in the mix. As if to respond to this, he now has the vocals shoved WAY up in your face. If you think I am exaggerating, just turn your volume to 1/4 for the 2-6 track and you will notice that you can only hear tid-bits of the beat trying to lurk around his overpowering vocal. Not only is the vocal very loud especially in the front end of the album, but that half is also a touch more angry and (arguably) shouty (maybe it just seems that way because of the mix, etc.).
Again, don't attack me yet; we all love EL-P, and I'm not dissing this album. It is tough to turn anyone on to this, unless they have followed the evolution of hip-hop from it's goofy 80's bounce, through the forceful rock textures of Rick Rubin's beats and the emergence of gangster rap, into the ricochet influence that led New York into a much darker and more violent sound, through the emergence of Southern rap, which led to the current state of predominately less lyrical "blog rap." If you followed all that, then I can play this for you without preface, otherwise for people basically just checking in, I feel the need to explain why this dude is lobbing a million angry words a minute into your earhole. That is funny to me, as a child of the 80s/90s who previously grew accustomed to defending EL-P's beats to people who loved the lyrical approach but didn't get everything else El-P did when he was not aiming for throw-back moments.
So, what else is different here? I do not agree with Pitchfork.com calling this a reinvention along the lines of Portishead "3." The style/approach changes here are mostly subtle. The vocals are turned up, he lets the beats play out uninterrupted more often (as opposed to stacking a million sampled sound snippets in every open space), and due to less excursions it feels like a shorter and more cohesive unit. In no way does this album feel cobbled together in the cut-and-paste way his last two did. At that time he seemed to just be decorating around the centerpiece of his "bangers." Also, there are some other notable differences in the design, he placed all his guest rappers dead center of the album on two back-to-back posse cuts (basically showing-off his tour-mates, with the exception of Danny Brown's awkward disposable verse, compared to Despot and Exquire's more essential verses), rather than his old approach of sprinkling as many emcees from the DefJux roster as possible in every nook and cranny (though he does utilize a couple of Camu Tao samples). In keeping with a move he made on ISWYD, he does have a couple of songs featuring indie-rock-based vocalists, one from Interpol (although I cannot tell which song without looking up the credits), and a more noticeable appearance by the Islands singer late in the album on "Stay Down" (a stand-out track, for me). This time the indie singers appear in a more fleeting way, and the majority of the album is raw EL-P with an album intro and outro, but not a ton of twists and turns. Basically this is Jaime (that's his name) in his rawest form.
How much you like this depends on what you compare it to. It works well as a companion to Killer Mike's new album (produced by EL-P), because even though this is a version of EL-P that is less mean-spirited, Killer Mike works a lot harder to infuse a heart-and-soul aesthetic rather than the non-stop aggressive and heavy-hearted "fight music" EL-P aims for. El has a grim outlook, while Mike remains more hopeful and presents himself as a family man who's minor gun talk comes off as protective. However, I miss the vocals being buried in the mix more so that the beats bang up front more, and I miss the intro-to-the-intro-of-the-intro approach that led his last two albums to be more detailed with samples like Paul's Boutique. Instead, this is a VERY strait-forward album for El, where his use of vocal effects (vocoder, pitch shifter, etc.) do not replace or come off as samples, although they seem to be aiming for that niche, his beats are given more breathing room in those spots, and his harsh tone is so raw at times that it's almost rapid-fire spoken word. However, do not let this distract you from buying it. Comparing a genius to himself is always more nit-picky than comparing them to any of the idiots they dwarf in the current industry.
Get this, then go get his other three albums I mention...actually, you probably already have them. If not, then I'm impressed you just now stumbled on this guy and he didn't scare you off. These days it's easier to sell people on his (now very current-sounding) beats. There are just not a lot of rappers out right now who are employing this barking-dog aesthetic. Judging by the sound of the second half of this album where his tone mellows, and his themes are less "rapey" than his usual B-side antics, even EL-P might not be wearing his barking-dog mask for a lot longer. Get it, get barked at, be scared. It's fun!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Like most listeners my age, much of the underground hip-hop that pulled me away from the mainstream was put to shelves by a since-defunct imprint called Rawkus Records. Initially known for a classic run of 12" singles, Rawkus eventually released Company Flow's debut LP, the storied Funcrusher Plus, during the summer of 1997. And while there were a number of great Rawkus releases that followed over the next five years (most notably Mos Def's Black On Both Sides), it was Funcrusher - and maybe Kool Keith and Automator's Dor. Octagonecologyst album - that started sparked the alternative hip-hop movement that spat then spit-out through the Naughts. To be even more specific, it was the work a man named Jaime "El-P" Meline, who arguably changed the sound, approach, mood and authenticity of underground hip-hop. While his writing - which was as complex as anything any hip-hop fan had heard to that point - it was El-P's dense, gritty, dark and industrial production that really made an impact. His sound - then, and maybe even still today - was the biggest, boldest and most interesting hip-hop fans had heard since RZA's first few productions shocked and awed.
Always busy, El-P recently produced a record for mainstream emcee Killer Mike before finally releasing his third proper solo record, the just-issued Cancer 4 Cure. One of the most anticipated hip-hop releases of recent years, Cancer comes to us by way of indie-rock imprint Fat Possum Records, El-P's Def Jux Records having been recently put on hold. The result is nearly exactly what you'd expect: incredible production that feels cold and labored. Cinematic and eerie. There's no sad reach for mainstream appeal but there's also no further genre advancement. This is El-P being El-P, building thick, blue records that critique modern society, celebrate Brooklyn and introduce the larger world to lesser known talents like Danny Brown and Despot while also featuring surprise guests like forgotten Interpol frontman Paul Banks. (Other surprise artists along for the ride include Islands / Unicorns frontman Nicholas Thorburn, Yo La Tengo bassist James McNew, Chavez guitar hero Matt Sweeney and TV on the Radio guitarist Jaleel Bunton.)
While tracks like lead single "The Full Retard" and banger "Drongs Over BKLYN" feel like new classics, Cancer isn't the grand new artistic statement a lot of us Co-Flow devotees were expecting from El-P. It's a listenable, impressive record, but not a visionary one that adds to the saga of gritty street music. A disc you put on, marvel at the spaceman-like construction of, then file on the shelf. Cancer 4 Cure, despite sounding perfectly accomplished and looking like it should be the hip-hop OK Computer on paper, is little more than a reminder that Brooklyn hip-hop auteur El-P is still kicking around, looking for something. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy soon finds a second career similar to the one Trent Reznor is currently enjoying in the universe of dark cinema.
Read more of my music- and film-related writing at ZeCatalist.com.
Always busy, El-P recently produced a record for mainstream emcee Killer Mike before finally releasing his third proper solo record, the just-issued Cancer 4 Cure. One of the most anticipated hip-hop releases of recent years, Cancer comes to us by way of indie-rock imprint Fat Possum Records, El-P's Def Jux Records having been recently put on hold. The result is nearly exactly what you'd expect: incredible production that feels cold and labored. Cinematic and eerie. There's no sad reach for mainstream appeal but there's also no further genre advancement. This is El-P being El-P, building thick, blue records that critique modern society, celebrate Brooklyn and introduce the larger world to lesser known talents like Danny Brown and Despot while also featuring surprise guests like forgotten Interpol frontman Paul Banks. (Other surprise artists along for the ride include Islands / Unicorns frontman Nicholas Thorburn, Yo La Tengo bassist James McNew, Chavez guitar hero Matt Sweeney and TV on the Radio guitarist Jaleel Bunton.)
While tracks like lead single "The Full Retard" and banger "Drongs Over BKLYN" feel like new classics, Cancer isn't the grand new artistic statement a lot of us Co-Flow devotees were expecting from El-P. It's a listenable, impressive record, but not a visionary one that adds to the saga of gritty street music. A disc you put on, marvel at the spaceman-like construction of, then file on the shelf. Cancer 4 Cure, despite sounding perfectly accomplished and looking like it should be the hip-hop OK Computer on paper, is little more than a reminder that Brooklyn hip-hop auteur El-P is still kicking around, looking for something. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy soon finds a second career similar to the one Trent Reznor is currently enjoying in the universe of dark cinema.
Read more of my music- and film-related writing at ZeCatalist.com.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Monosylabik
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
For starters, I'm a well-versed fan of El Producto (for those who aren't, I look forward to you joining me soon). His latest release delivers what those who already know him expect: mind-meltingly verbose lyrics, detailed and meticulously-crafted production, and dark emotional undercurrents. All things considered, it's probably his best album yet. A couple of pro/con points:
+ As expected, he's only gotten better as a producer; so polished and creative. From a career perspective, he's now officially in the "All-Time Greatest Producers" conversation. Quality headphones are mandatory to catch all the little details and make for a fascinating listen.
+ Conversely, a few tracks are straight thumpers that'll destroy anything on FM dials. He will probably win a lot of new fans with the singles, especially the absolutely ripping "The Full Retard".
+ Lyrically he's refined everything about his delivery and sounds better than ever. Content-wise, some songs are pretty straightforward (easy to decipher and enjoy casually) while others are characteristically dense and demand dozens of listens to comprehend. A good balance: more accessible than ever, but also classic El.
- He's still no melody-maker. Aside from a couple of tracks, his dark and often chromatic synth lines aren't really gonna make you nod your head...though the beats probably will. This is 90% mood/street poet music, not sing-along party tunes (once again this is par for the course with him, but I was hoping he'd break his mold a bit more).
- The choruses/hooks are pretty weak for the most part, probably the most disappointing part of the album. El handles most of those vocals himself, which wouldn't have been so bad if he could write and/or sing melodies. At best, they're un-interesting. At worst, cringe-worthy. See "The Jig Is Up" or "For My Upstairs Neighbor"...
- The guest spots are underwhelming. Or to clarify, the guest verses on "Tougher Colder Killer" and "Oh Hail No" are great, particularly Killer Mike and Danny Brown, but the indie rocker spots on "Works Every Time" and "Stay Down" are disposable (without the liner notes, you wouldn't think that "Works Every Time" even has a guest at all). El's dense writing and monotone delivery can wear you down over an album, so it would've helped to have a couple more spots where both he and the listener could take a breather.
All that being said, it should be noted by prospective listeners that El-P and artists like him are on a whole 'nother level of substance compared to what's currently more popular (in my completely correct opinion). If you think of MTV or Billboard chart-toppers when you think of hip-hop, this isn't your scene. But to those who enjoy truly talented producers and thoughtful audio authors: Welcome home, baby.
+ As expected, he's only gotten better as a producer; so polished and creative. From a career perspective, he's now officially in the "All-Time Greatest Producers" conversation. Quality headphones are mandatory to catch all the little details and make for a fascinating listen.
+ Conversely, a few tracks are straight thumpers that'll destroy anything on FM dials. He will probably win a lot of new fans with the singles, especially the absolutely ripping "The Full Retard".
+ Lyrically he's refined everything about his delivery and sounds better than ever. Content-wise, some songs are pretty straightforward (easy to decipher and enjoy casually) while others are characteristically dense and demand dozens of listens to comprehend. A good balance: more accessible than ever, but also classic El.
- He's still no melody-maker. Aside from a couple of tracks, his dark and often chromatic synth lines aren't really gonna make you nod your head...though the beats probably will. This is 90% mood/street poet music, not sing-along party tunes (once again this is par for the course with him, but I was hoping he'd break his mold a bit more).
- The choruses/hooks are pretty weak for the most part, probably the most disappointing part of the album. El handles most of those vocals himself, which wouldn't have been so bad if he could write and/or sing melodies. At best, they're un-interesting. At worst, cringe-worthy. See "The Jig Is Up" or "For My Upstairs Neighbor"...
- The guest spots are underwhelming. Or to clarify, the guest verses on "Tougher Colder Killer" and "Oh Hail No" are great, particularly Killer Mike and Danny Brown, but the indie rocker spots on "Works Every Time" and "Stay Down" are disposable (without the liner notes, you wouldn't think that "Works Every Time" even has a guest at all). El's dense writing and monotone delivery can wear you down over an album, so it would've helped to have a couple more spots where both he and the listener could take a breather.
All that being said, it should be noted by prospective listeners that El-P and artists like him are on a whole 'nother level of substance compared to what's currently more popular (in my completely correct opinion). If you think of MTV or Billboard chart-toppers when you think of hip-hop, this isn't your scene. But to those who enjoy truly talented producers and thoughtful audio authors: Welcome home, baby.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
El-P is one baaaad ass DJ/MC/Producer/whatever!
I love this album! From beginning to end, it was a melee of sounds that made me wanna get up and bob my head! It's a sick album. Get it, jam it, love it... Read more
Published 20 days ago by gene
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hip Hop In It's Most Brilliant Form
By far my favorite album of 2012. El-P has come storming back to the hip hop scene with a vengeance. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael Ford
5.0 out of 5 stars
EL-P does it again!
this is one of the best albums of 2012 as a producer and a lyricist EL-P is one of the best to do it there is no filler tracks on the album its just a great piece of musical art
Published 2 months ago by Keith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best hip-hop album 2012
Bought this for my boyfriend for x-mas but must admit that my eight year old and myself have not stopped listening to it since the gift was opened.
Published 2 months ago by Joeschmoe117
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid Album
First off, let me begin by saying that I am not the biggest fan of El-P. When I saw that this album came out, I thought I'd listen to a few tracks and after hearing a few I had to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Garrett S.
5.0 out of 5 stars
El-P drops a solid Rap album!
Loved El-P since Rawkus Records and still do. Cancer 4 Cure is a little different from Fantastic Damage, but that's in his nature. Read more
Published 3 months ago by G. Renzi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epic
This solidifies El-P as my all-time favorite producer. Now go buy the rest of his albums if you haven't already.
Published 3 months ago by Patrick Kirwin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet Mother in Hell
Well, I happily stumbled upon El-P a few years ago, and my first listen to him was off the album "i'll sleep when you're dead" which is a masterpiece. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ralph Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
El-P has done it again!!!
With his lyrical genius and his production skills this album comes off as a gift from the Audio gods! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Giovanni
5.0 out of 5 stars
El-P's beats are stand-alone!
If you like the album, you will like the instrumentals just as much. Don't be afraid to win, buy this album.
Published 4 months ago by Jay Appleseed
