Cancer 4 Cure

Cancer 4 Cure
Studio album by El-P
Released May 22, 2012
Recorded 2009[1]-2012
Genre Alternative hip hop, Underground hip hop
Length 49:05
Label Fat Possum Records
Producer El-P, Nick Diamonds, Little Shalimar, Wilder Zoby
El-P chronology

I'll Sleep When You're Dead
(2007)
Cancer 4 Cure
(2012)
Run the Jewels
(2013)
Singles from Cancer 4 Cure
  1. "The Full Retard"
    Released: April 24, 2012

Cancer 4 Cure is the third full-length studio album by El-P, released on Fat Possum Records May 22, 2012.

Background

Jaime Meline has stated that "I think that I’m trying to create an idea or illustrate a thought pattern, just because there’s darkness that I see and think about, it doesn’t mean I’ve given into it. I think the record is ultimately about not giving into it. For the most part I’m struggling with that darkness throughout the record. When I say it’s about wanting to live, I just say that because that’s how I feel. When you get hit with death, sometimes as horrible as it is, one of the things that can come out of it is a reaffirmation of how much you don’t want to go, and I think that’s what happened with me."[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 84/100 [3]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [4]
The A.V. Club (A) [5]
BBC (Very Favorable) [6]
The Boston Phoenix [7]
Chicago Tribune [8]
Los Angeles Times [9]
musicOMH [10]
Pitchfork Media (8.5/10) [11]
Rolling Stone [12]
Tiny Mix Tapes [13]

Cancer 4 Cure has received general acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a score of 84, based on 39 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim." AllMusic reviewed the album giving it a score of 4 out of 5, stating "Cancer4Cure is about hip-hop like Glengarry Glen Ross was about sales, but these great works transcend their industries, offering solace and inspiration to anyone who would prefer a satisfied mind over a Cadillac Eldorado, or in current terms, an Escalade."[4]

In contrast The Boston Phoenix stated that "Cancer for Cure is definitely not El-P's Age of Apocalypse; in fact it's the only El-P production that sounds like it's been made on planet Earth, following hip-hop rules that someone else already defined."[7]

The album was listed 15th on Stereogum's list of top 50 albums of 2012.[14]

Track listing

Track Listing was confirmed by FatPossum.[15]

No. Title Length
1. "Request Denied"   4:32
2. "The Full Retard"   3:39
3. "Works Every Time" (featuring Paul Banks) 3:35
4. "Drones Over Bklyn"   5:49
5. "Oh Hail No" (featuring Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire & Danny Brown) 3:41
6. "Tougher Colder Killer" (featuring Killer Mike & Despot) 3:39
7. "True Story"   3:14
8. "The Jig Is Up"   3:18
9. "Sign Here"   2:51
10. "For My Upstairs Neighbor (Mums the Word)"   3:15
11. "Stay Down" (featuring Nick Diamonds) 3:10
12. "$4 Vic/Nothing but You+Me (FTL)"   8:23
Total length:
49:05

Samples

Personnel

Music

Technical
  • El-P - Design
  • Ron Croudy - Design
  • Joey Raia - Mixing
  • Timothy Saccenti - Photography
  • Glenn Schick - Mastering
  • Torbitt Schwartz - Engineer
  • Little Shalimar - Engineer

References

  1. http://cancer4cure.blogspot.com/2009/09/oh-hi-there.html
  2. Alexander Fruchter. "Interview El-P: Back In The Flow". rubyhornet.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  3. "Cancer4Cure - El-P". metacritic.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  4. 4.0 4.1 David Jeffries. "Cancer4Cure El-P". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  5. Eric Harvey. "El-P Cancer For Cure". avclub.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  6. Mike Diver. "El-P Cancer4Cure Review". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Dan Weiss. "El-P - Cancer For Cure". thephoenix.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  8. Greg Kot. "Album review: El-P, 'Cancer 4 Cure'". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  9. Todd Martens. "Album review: El-P's 'Cancer 4 Cure'". latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  10. Daniel Paton. "El-P - Cancer For Cure". musicomh.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  11. Jeff Weiss. "El-P Cancer for Cure". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  12. Will Hermes. "El-P Cancer4Cure". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  13. Brent A. "El-P Cancer 4 Cure". tinymixtapes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  14. http://stereogum.com/1210661/stereogums-top-50-albums-of-2012/franchises/listomania/
  15. "El-P "Cancer For Cure" Album Art / Tracklist". fatpossum.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.

External links